Dr. M. Cristina Nostro, Senior Scientist at UHN’s McEwen Stem Cell Institute, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, and the Harry Rosen Chair in Diabetes Regenerative Medicine Research, has been honoured with the prestigious 2025 Till & McCulloch Award in Ottawa.
This award recognizes the most impactful publication in stem cell research by a Canadian researcher that year. This year, Dr. Nostro is recognized for her publication titled “Embryonic macrophages support endocrine commitment during human pancreatic differentiation,” published in Cell Stem Cell in November 2024.
This work is the first to utilize a co-culture of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) derived pancreatic beta-like cells and macrophages—a type of immune cell—to better model the environment in which pancreatic cells form during normal embryonic development. Dr. Nostro and her colleagues uncovered the key role of immune cells in the development and survival of endocrine cells of the pancreas. By leveraging this discovery, researchers can improve their models of the endocrine pancreas, make their results more reflective of in vivo processes, and hopefully bring the field closer to understanding and treating diabetes.
Dr. Nostro received the award surrounded by some of the best scientists, clinicians, bioengineers, and ethicists in stem cell and regenerative medicine, as well as representatives from industry, government, healthcare, and non-profit sectors from Canada and abroad.
For more details on this prestigious award and the Till & McCulloch Meetings, visit www.tillandmcculloch.ca.
