A new frontier in modern medicine
Donor spotlight
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Progress Report 2021/22 |
Many of the kids across BC dealing with serious health conditions like heart defects, diabetes and epilepsy have to battle severe health complications for the rest of their lives.
This is a reality that must be improved, and with initiatives like the Cellular and Regenerative Medicine Centre (CRMC) and the support of generous donors like Mining for Miracles, it will be.
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Mining for Miracles is the BC mining industry’s long-standing fundraising campaign for BC Children’s Hospital. For the past 34 years, this future-facing group of industry leaders has led fundraising for cutting-edge innovations that have pushed the boundaries of pediatric medicine at BC Children’s Hospital. Their latest commitment in 2020 was to raise $3.385 million to establish the CRMC at BC Children’s, and in 2022 that commitment was fully completed. The CRMC is giving BC Children’s Hospital clinicians the tools they need to better understand the genetic causes of conditions such as heart arrhythmias and diabetes. This will eventually lead to more accurate diagnoses, better treatments and possibly even cures to save the lives of children across the province, and maybe even the world. The work done at the CRMC could also improve treatment outcomes for other medical conditions like cancer and epilepsy. One leading-edge medical innovation that has already benefitted from Mining for Miracles’ generosity is stem cell research, which could increase understanding of how certain diseases occur and the development of new treatments. The first-of-its-kind stem cell technology at BC Children’s Hospital is helping researchers explore these possibilities and creating a brighter future for kids dealing with serious illnesses. |
Until recently, growing stem cells was painstaking work that had to be manually performed by researchers at BC Children’s Hospital, limiting stem cell culturing to only two or three patients at a time. The new stem cell technology has greatly accelerated the entire process — the same work can be done for up to 85 patients simultaneously while ensuring complete accuracy. This can lead to faster progress in discovering what is causing serious illnesses and potentially developing personalized treatments to help more kids across BC. The visionary support of Mining for Miracles is building the foundation for new standards in pediatric medical care. Thanks to this group of community-focused leaders across the mining industry, kids across BC can look forward to a future where the elimination of severe life-long health complications isn’t just a hope — it’s a reality. |