Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan

Scientist, Schroeder Arthritis Institute & Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network; Associate Professor, Institute of Biomedical Engineering & Department of Medicine, University of Toronto; Co-Director, Schroeder Arthritis Advanced Therapeutic Centre

Dr. Viswanathan is a Scientist at the Osteoarthritis Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute and the Krembil Research Institute (University Health Network) and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Medicine, University of Toronto. She is co-Director of the Schroeder Arthritis Advanced Therapeutic Centre.

Her research is focused on developing novel cellular and immunotherapies to target osteoarthritis (OA), including i) using proprietary enhanced mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), and ii) reprogramming monocytes/macrophages using small molecules and gene-edited iPSCs.

Dr. Viswanathan was co-Principal Investigator of a Health Canada-authorized trial using autologous MSCs to treat osteoarthritis patients, a North American first. Dr. Viswanathan is now leading another Health Canada-authorized trial using autologous cellular therapies to treat osteoarthritis patients and using immune profiling to discriminate responders from non-responders.