To help address this gap, LabPartners – our team of patient partners and researchers – has been funded by the Stem Cell Network to study and champion patient engagement in lab-based regenerative medicine research. We believe that integrating patients as partners in laboratory settings will help ensure that early phase research considers the perspectives and priorities of those who will ultimately benefit from it.

There are clear barriers to making patient engagement in laboratory research a reality. For instance, many researchers find it less intuitive to engage patient partners in the laboratory compared to in clinical settings. Moreover, physical barriers exist, as labs are often inaccessible behind locked doors and isolated from patients and the public. Importantly, lab-based researchers struggle to find guidance and resources pertaining to patient engagement.

‘How do I actually get started?’

To address this crucial question, along with identified barriers, LabPartners is developing a guiding framework and online platform. Drawing on foundational work to understand the current state of preclinical patient engagement, our team has identified principles, barriers, facilitators, and considerations to create a draft framework for patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research. Our next steps include an international, consensus-building survey to refine the framework, followed by field testing with teams of SCN laboratory-based researchers and patient partners.

Our online platform, www.labpartners.ca, is a one-stop-shop site that provides education, resources, training, and more, for researchers, patients, and organizations interested in preclinical patient engagement. We highlight stories of researchers successfully championing patient engagement in their labs, exemplifying the transformative potential of preclinical patient engagement. On the site, you can also read a policy brief created by our team on patient engagement in the laboratory. We regularly update the website with examples of preclinical patient engagement, guidance and resources!