On its face, agriculture seems simple: crops need water, sunlight, and soil to grow. The soil that crops are planted in, however, is complex. In order for plants to thrive, fertile soil requires a variety of elements that can become depleted over time, including nitrogen.
Often inaccurately hyped up as the “pleasure molecule,” dopamine is implicated more in “pursuing” than producing pleasure, explains Rabeea Saleem in her article for The National. For example, if you enjoy a sugar rush, dopamine is responsible for motivating you to seek a cupcake to satisfy your cravings, rather than the actual rush. She spoke with McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Zachary Freyberg, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Cell Biology at the University of Pittsburgh, for her article.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Neill Turner, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. At the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, he specialized in tissue engineering of vascular grafts using endothelial cells. He then did post-graduate work at the UK Centre for Tissue Engineering, University of Manchester, before he became a Research Associate in the Badylak Lab at the McGowan Institute, where he researches regenerative medicine approaches to repair musculoskeletal injuries. Dr. Turner is investigating the role of decellularized extracellular matrix in limb and muscle regeneration. He has extensive experience studying vascular biology, cardiovascular tissue engineering, and the development of decellularized tissues and ECM-based implants.
A person suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) endures the progressive loss of muscle function throughout their body. Eventually, they lose the ability to control their limbs, to swallow, and even to speak. Their inability to communicate becomes a particularly devastating symptom of the illness. Other diseases can cause similar, debilitating impairment.
There is growing evidence that cellular senescence plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of chronic liver diseases. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Michael Oertel, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, and a member of the Liver Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh, is a co-principal investigator on a project that will dissect the role of the activin A/p15INK4b axis in inducing senescence and how it impacts chronic liver disease progression. Uncovering mechanism(s) and identifying essential mediators of hepatocyte senescence will provide fundamental new information for developing novel therapeutic strategies to halt progression of chronic liver diseases.
The lab of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Samira Kiani, PhD, Associate Professor, Liver Research Center, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, focuses on developing controllable genetic circuits by combining the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) technology with design principles of synthetic biology. She and her team seek to precisely control the location, the timing or logic of function of Cas9 and multiple gRNAs so that they can develop safer and more controllable gene therapy platforms or employ the tools for sophisticated reprograming of cellular function and fate.
The rise of 3D printing has transformed the manufacturing industry, enabling manufacturers to quickly, and precisely, create specialized parts for any application. Numerous applications are envisaged for this technology, ranging from flexible electronics, soft robotics, architected materials, and biological tissues.
Small vesicles secreted by bacterial cells play a role in recruiting immune cells but surprisingly also might help to protect the pathogens, according to a new study from Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh researchers published in mBio. The study is one of the first studies to look at the role of extracellular vesicles released by the pathogen pneumococcus in vivo and may provide a new avenue for vaccine development.
Joseph Maggiore, current CATER student and MD/PhD candidate in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), has been selected to attend the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) Summit in Geneva, Switzerland with Dr. Samira Kiani, CATER Program Associate Director, and the Tomorrow.Life team. Tomorrow.Life, a UPMC Pitt Liver Research Center initiative, has partnered with GESDA to support the first GESDA Summit. Tomorrow.Life acts to engage the public through a variety of trusted messengers. The summit will include over 300 scientists, diplomats, business leaders, and philanthropists who will gather to drive reflective, responsible, inclusive and sustainable collaboration.
Presented by the Pittsburgh Business Times, the 2021 Women of Influence Awards honor the region’s most influential businesswomen at for-profit companies, nonprofits, and government entities. This year, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Fabrisia Ambrosio, PhD, MPT, was one of the women honored as Women of Influence. The awardees are women who are effective in their communities, blazed a trail for others, and are leaving an indelible mark on business in Greater Pittsburgh. This year’s presentation event took place on October 6, 2021.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Alan Wells, MD, DMS, Thomas J. Gill III Professor of Pathology and the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh, recently spoke with Michael Ollove, Staff Writer, Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts, about COVID antibody tests. Talk of the need for COVID-19 booster shots has prompted many Americans to seek these tests.
Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) will award the $1 million Magee Prize to an international team of scientists during the Magee-Womens Summit November 16 to 18, 2021. The prize will help fund new research initiatives and transdisciplinary collaborations to promote knowledge and enhance the health and wellness of women and infants worldwide.
Declining life expectancy and increasing all-cause mortality in the United States have been associated with unhealthy behaviors, socioecological factors, and preventable disease. A growing body of basic science, clinical research, and population health evidence points to the benefits of healthy behaviors, environments, and policies to maintain health and prevent, treat, and reverse the root causes of common chronic diseases. Similarly, innovations in research methodologies, standards of evidence, emergence of unique study cohorts, and breakthroughs in data analytics and modeling create new possibilities for producing biomedical knowledge and clinical translation. To understand these advances and inform future directions research, The Lifestyle Medicine Research Summit was convened at the University of Pittsburgh on December 4–5, 2019.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Jonathan Rubin, PhD, Professor and Chairman in the Department of Mathematics and adjunct professor with the Department of Computational and Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh, is a co-principal investigator on a three-year Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience Grant, funded by the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Dr. Rubin and co-principal investigator Aryn Gittis, PhD, from Biological Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, will work together on the project entitled “Diverse effects of GABAergic inputs on a basal ganglia output center.”
CATER Trainee Marty Haschak defended his dissertation on Monday, September 13, 2021. The presentation was titled, “Age-related Remodeling is Associated with Altered Cardiac Resident and Circulation-derived Macrophage Phenotype and Function.” Congratulations to Marty! We wish you much success for your future.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Steven Little, PhD, internationally recognized for his research in pharmaceutics and biomimetic drug delivery systems, now adds the University of Pittsburgh’s highest distinction for faculty to his list of honors. Recognizing his contributions to the professoriate as well as research, scholarly impact, and leadership, Dr. Little was appointed Distinguished Professor by Chancellor Patrick Gallagher.
A decade ago, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Eric Lagasse, PharmD, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh with a secondary appointment in Pitt’s Clinical and Translational Institute, the Director of the Cancer Stem Cell Center at the McGowan Institute, and a world leader in ectopic transplantation research, began a series of experiments that would form the foundation for LyGenesis. He discovered that hepatocytes (liver cells) transplanted into lymph nodes would not just survive, but thrive, organize, and begin to function as miniature ectopic livers, exerting life-saving effects in otherwise fatal small and large animal models of end stage liver disease. His research, published in Nature Biotechnology, Current Opinions in Organ Transplantation, and Organogenesis, confirms that it is possible to harness the body’s lymph nodes as bioreactors for growing functional ectopic organs.
Monoclonal antibodies—an outpatient treatment that must be given soon after COVID-19 diagnosis—significantly decrease hospitalization and death from the disease. Real-world data from UPMC patients now show that two antibody combination treatments—bamlanivimab-etesevimab and casirivimab-imdevimab—were safe and appeared to be equally effective.
Members of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine mourn the passing of Freddie Fu, MD. Dr. Fu was internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of orthopedic medicine and acclaimed worldwide for his innovative research and teaching, leading to many clinical advancements in sports medicine and orthpaedic care, particularly in treating knee injuries. Throughout his life and career, Dr. Fu worked passionately to always set the bar higher for his local, national, and international medical/surgical colleagues, thousands of medical students, surgical residents, and fellows who came to Pittsburgh to learn from the best. Read Dr. Fu’s full obituary from UPMC here. Condolences are extended to Dr. Fu’s wife, children, and family.
That’s the question Kelly Sasso from Pittsburgh’s WTAE received from a man in Latrobe, PA. Ms. Sasso got the answer from McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Alan Wells, MD, the Thomas J. Gill III Professor of Pathology and the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the medical director at UPMC’s Clinical Laboratories.
Elizabeth Wayne, PhD, is a McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member, a Biomedical Engineer at Carnegie Mellon University, a TED Fellow, and advocate for women in higher education. Dr. Wayne’s areas of expertise include biomedical engineering, cancer, gene delivery, nanomedicine, and STEM education.
Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, has honored McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Rory Cooper, PhD, with the John P. McGovern Science and Society Award. Recipients of this award represent individuals who have supported research, the communication of science, and the impact of science on society.
It’s good to walk every day. This form of exercise is a very effective way to enjoy our vitality. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Urszula Zdanowicz, MD, a surgeon/specialist in orthopedics and sports medicine at the Carolina Medical Center in Poland, explains why it is worth walking, how it affects our health, and whether it is necessary to prepare for it.
Giving moderately ill, hospitalized COVID-19 patients a full dose of a blood thinner improved their chances of leaving the hospital without needing mechanical ventilation. But this strategy did not yield the same results for COVID-19 patients who were critically ill, who needed intensive care-level support at the time of enrollment.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Pablo Sanchez, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery; Vice Chairman, Benign Lung Diseases; Chief, Division of Lung Transplant and Lung Failure; Surgical Director, Lung Transplantation and ECMO; Director, Lung Transplant Research; and, Director, Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) Program, all within the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. The UPMC Lung Transplant Program is one of the most recognized and experienced centers in the world. Physicians of this team evaluate many high-risk patients, including those needing re-transplantation. Beth Slack was one of these patients. Dr. Sanchez and Mrs. Slack were interviewed recently by Meghan Schiller, KDKA. Watch the interview here; part of their conversation transcript follows:
In a proof-of-concept study, researchers led by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Riccardo Gottardi, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and head of the Bioengineering and Biomaterials Laboratory at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), have created a coating that can be applied to endotracheal tubes and release antimicrobial peptides that target infectious bacteria with specificity. The innovation could reduce upper-airway bacterial inflammation during intubation, a situation that can lead to chronic inflammation and a condition called subglottic stenosis, the narrowing of the airway by an accumulation of scar tissue. The findings were published in the journal The Laryngoscope.
Advances in cardiac tissue engineering offer hope for an array of useful applications, from heart repair to disease modelling. As part of active, ongoing research related to bioengineering functional human organs, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Adam Feinberg, PhD, a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and his team are finding inspiration from the developing heart to rebuild human heart muscle.
The University of Pittsburgh Department of Pathology Research Seminar series will resume in September with the first seminar for the fall to be held Wednesday, September 15 @ noon.
“If you had a patient in need of a dentist, which dentist would you refer them to?”
This is the question asked to thousands of dentists to help determine who the topDentists should be. Dentists and specialists are asked to take into consideration years of experience, continuing education, manner with patients, use of new techniques and technologies, and of course physical results. Pittsburgh Magazine’s annual list, which in 2021 contains more than 420 dentists and specialists, includes three McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty members:
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Kathryn Whitehead, PhD, Associate Professor and Dean’s Career Fellow in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, recently participated in TED/Monteray. Her lab develops RNA and protein drug delivery systems and has a long-term goal of predicting the behavior of delivery materials in humans.
Efforts to understand cardiac disease progression and develop therapeutic tissues that can repair the human heart are just a few areas of focus for the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) research group of Adam Feinberg, PhD, a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at CMU and an affiliated faculty member of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. The group’s latest dynamic model, created in partnership with collaborators in the Netherlands, mimics physiologic loads on engineering heart muscle tissues, yielding an unprecedented view of how genetics and mechanical forces contribute to heart muscle function.
A sign of the strength of University of Pittsburgh’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem is the reauthorization earlier in 2021 of the Chancellor’s Gap Fund, which provides grants of $25,000 to $75,000 for innovators with promising discoveries to explore the commercial potential of their ideas.
A relevant cardiac health trend is the United States’ growing maternal mortality rate — the worst among industrialized countries. The majority of maternal deaths occur postpartum and result from hypertensive disorders like preeclampsia and gestational hypertension.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member John Pacella, MD, Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, an adjunct Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and an interventional cardiologist within the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, and Xiaoning Jiang, PhD, Dean F. Duncan Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the North Carolina State University, Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, and Adjunct Professor of Neurology at Duke University, are co-investigators on a novel R33 award as part of the recently launched NHLBI Catalyze Program which aims at “facilitating the transition of basic science discoveries into viable diagnostic and therapeutic candidates cleared for human testing.”
The Vascular Bioengineering Lab (VBL) at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering—led by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member David Vorp, PhD, Associate Dean for Research, Swanson School of Engineering, and the John A. Swanson Professor of Bioengineering—seeks to understand and develop solutions to the causes and effects of disease in tubular tissue and organs. Part of this research includes a closer look at abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA)—the 15th leading cause of death in the United States.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a relatively rare but serious complication of pregnancy in which the heart muscle weakens. The source of the condition is unknown, but researchers believe it impacts at least one in 2,000 live births in the US. Greater risk for the disease is associated with preeclampsia, twin or multiple births, older maternal age, some genetic mutations, and ethnicity. Sarah Yahr Tucker reported on PPCM for Popular Science.
An article in The Atlantic on the effects of COVID-19 on children included input from McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Ivet Bahar, PhD, Distinguished Professor, the John K. Vries Chair, and the Founding Chair in the Department of Computational & Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Bahar’s work, which appeared in the PNAS in September 2020, was referenced as a part of the author’s research. Roxanne Khamsi wrote the story for The Atlantic.
This year, 20 projects were selected for 2021 Seed Grant Program, and a project of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Rory Cooper, PhD, FISA and Paralyzed Veterans of America Professor and Distinguished Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology and Founding Director and VA Senior Research Career Scientist of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, was one of the projects funded.
The results of a study by an international scientific team co-led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, suggest that — like pouring water atop a wellhead before pumping — the airway cells of patients with chronic lung diseases are “primed” for infection by the COVID-19 virus, resulting in more severe symptoms, poorer outcomes, and a greater likelihood of death.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Computational Biology Department have been awarded almost $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop new approaches for producing liver organoids — tiny, lab-grown human organs that have potential for disease modeling, drug discovery, and transplantation.
