Perimeter Public Lecture: The power of regenerative medicine

The innovations in medical science can be hard to keep track of. But the Perimeter Public Lecture on Dec. 7—the last of 2016 for the decade-long monthly series of discussions in Kitchener-Waterloo delivered by world-leading physics theorists and experimenters—was a great opportunity to catch up with the incredible strides happening in the field.

For December’s instalment, Dr. Molly Shoichet, an award-winning University of Toronto professor and biomedical engineer, spoke about the promise and present status of regenerative medicine. She talked about how it’s become possible to grow a patient’s cancer cells in labs so as to provide bespoke treatment plans; she discussed how blindness can be averted with the transplanting and reparation of cells in the back of the eye; and she explained how a "drug-infused band-aid’ applied directly on the brain could achieve the ultimate feat of her field: repairing stem cells.

Maclean’s live-streamed Shoichet’s lecture: watch it below.