Humans of LMP: Michael Laflamme

Each month we speak to a member of the Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology community and find out more about them as part of an initiative from our Wellness, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Committee (WIDE).

This month we feature Dr. Michael Laflamme, Senior Scientist and Robert R. McEwen Chair in Cardiac Regenerative Medicine at University Health Network and Professor in LMP.

How long have you been at LMP and what does your role involve? 

I will have been at LMP for 10 years this summer, hard to believe it has gone by that fast! I am a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto and a Senior Scientist in the McEwen Stem Cell Institute. I am also a Staff Pathologist in the Laboratory Medicine Program at University Health Network and, until very recently, practiced cardiovascular and autopsy pathology at Toronto General Hospital.  

Tell us about your research.

My research program is focused on developing a regenerative cell therapy for ischemic heart disease. After a myocardial infarction (MI), the damaged muscle is replaced by non-contractile scar tissue, often resulting in heart failure. Our strategy is to “remuscularize” the infarct scar and restore contractile function by transplanting cardiomyocytes derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs).

Toward that end, my laboratory contributed early protocols for the guided differentiation of hPSCs into ventricular cardiomyocytes, and we continue to develop improved methods for the scaled, economic manufacturing of these cells. We are also very active in testing these cells in various small- and large-animal models of MI, and we have a number of projects aimed at improving the engraftment, safety, and efficacy of cell therapy.  

Read more about his research in A 20 year path to translation: repairing broken hearts.

What led you to pursue your current career path?  

I have always been fascinated by the heart, going back as far as I can remember. I still vividly remember the first time that I saw a live heart muscle cell contract under the microscope, in that case, a primary cardiomyocyte isolated from a rat heart during a research rotation in medical school. It really captured my imagination. Some years later, we were able to make beating human cardiomyocytes from hPSCs in the dish, and that advance really laid the path for my subsequent research career. 

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?  

A few years back, we were the first to show that graft tissue formed by hPSC-derived cardiomyocytes in injured hearts is capable of electromechanical integration and synchronous 1:1 coupling with host muscle. To demonstrate this, we developed cell engineering and intravital imaging tools that we now routinely use in the lab.   

What was the best career advice you ever received?   

Science is 90% about failure. Almost nothing works the first time, but you can always learn from failed experiments.  

Who is an influential person in your life and why? 

I’ve been very fortunate to have a number of mentors and scientific role models during my career: Chuck Murry, David Dichek, Steve Schwartz, and Gordon Keller, among many others.   

What would surprise people to know about you? 

I love classic movies and have a large collection of original movie posters. I prefer foreign language versions, and particularly like oversized Italian and French movie posters from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. 

What activities do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

Watching old movies (as per above), reading, hiking, snow-shoeing, and strategy games. 

What is your favourite album, film and novel? 

I’ll cheat because my top two favorite books were made into movies that are also favorites: Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep (Bogart and Bacall!) and Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men (the 1949 film version, obviously). 

I’m not sure that I have a favorite album, so let’s go with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. 

Who would be your dream dinner guests? 

Richard Feynman, Alfred Hitchcock, Barbara Tuchman, Bobby Flay (maybe he will also help cook?), and my wife.  

Where or what is your favourite place?

The San Juan Islands in Washington State.  

If you were stuck on a deserted island but had all your basic needs taken care of (i.e. food and water), what two items would you bring with you and why?

My Kindle e-reader and a solar battery charger.