Pediatric laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS), a narrowing of the airway in children, is a complex medical condition. While it can be something a child is born with or caused by injury, the condition can result in a life-threatening emergency if untreated. Treatment, however, is challenging. Depending on the severity, doctors will use a combination of endoscopic techniques, surgical repair, tracheostomy, or deployment of stents to hold the airway open and enable breathing.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex psychiatric disorder brought on by physical and/or psychological trauma. How its symptoms, including anxiety, depression and cognitive disturbances arise remains incompletely understood and unpredictable. Treatments and outcomes could potentially be improved if doctors could better predict who would develop PTSD. Now, researchers using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have found potential brain biomarkers of PTSD in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Carnegie Mellon University’s Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering Professor Adam Feinberg, PhD, along with postdoctoral fellow Dan Shiwarski, PhD, and graduate student Joshua Tashman have created a novel biosensor that reveals the mechanobiological forces that shape organ development. Dr. Feinberg is also an affiliated faculty member of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
As reported by Heather McKenzie from BioSpace, when our backs were against the wall, the biotech/biopharma community came together to create not one, but two COVID-19 vaccines currently approved for emergency use in the U.S. The lessons learned from the global pandemic are expected to translate to existing and emerging therapeutic areas – particularly, oncology; more efficient regulatory-industry relationships; mRNA is a word we will continue to hear a lot about; and home health care is here to stay. These are just a few of the insights Ms. McKenzie discovered when she recently spoke with 12 executives from the biotech/biopharma space.
Work that was funded through the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering as part of the Quantum Program and conducted by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Michel Modo, PhD, Professor in the Departments of Radiology and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues, recently was published in the journal Brain Research Bulletin. Dr. Modo is the corresponding author on the study and McGowan Institute deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, Professor in the Department of Surgery at Pitt and Director of the Center for Pre-Clinical Tissue Engineering within the Institute, is a co-author.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Youngjae Chun, PhD, associate professor of industrial engineering and bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, will receive second-year research funding as part of more than $735,000 from The Children’s Heart Foundation, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to funding congenital heart defect (CHD) research.
Sometimes cancer comes back long after the original tumor has been treated and removed. This is called recurrent cancer. Cancer can recur in the same place as the original tumor or in other places in the body if the tumor cells spread. Cancerous cells can lie dormant for years. But what triggers these cells to reawaken hasn’t been well understood.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced $1.7 million in new research funding to drive progress on its Path to a Cure. The awards, to seven academic institutions and two companies, will support focused research into key scientific challenges associated with developing therapies to address the underlying cause of disease for all people with CF, regardless of their underlying mutation.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine director William Wagner, PhD, named the 2021 Founders Award recipient from the Society For Biomaterials (SFB). The Founders Award is based on long-term, landmark contributions to the discipline of biomaterials. Dr. Wagner will be presented with the award at the virtual SFB 2021 Annual Meeting & Exposition being held April 20-23, 2021, during which he will make a plenary address. As the recipient of this prestigious recognition, he will receive a cash award and free registration to the virtual 2021 SFB Annual Meeting & Exposition.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Nathan Bahary, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh, and a medical oncologist and hematologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center, discusses with Erica DiNapoli for OncLive the importance of seeking targetable alterations in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, as well as recent advancements in the space.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Anne Robertson, PhD, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, will be the inaugural Associate Dean of Faculty Development in the Swanson School of Engineering (SSOE) at the University of Pittsburgh, a role that complements her efforts in the Center for Faculty Excellence, which she established and directs.
A treatment that may improve the 10-year survival rate for ovarian cancer patients should be a consideration, according to a recent study led by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Faina Linkov, PhD, MPH, chair of Duquesne University’s Health Administration and Public Health program in the Rangos School of Health Sciences.
We wish a safe and happy holiday to all! Since the formation of the McGowan Center for Artificial Organ Development (1992) and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (2001) there have been many accomplishments advancing the science and clinical achievements in regenerative medicine-based therapies. We have seen progress in the areas of medical devices, tissue engineering, and cell-based therapies, and the prospects for the future are encouraging. Thanks for the opportunities and outcomes created by all who participate in or support the initiatives of the McGowan Institute. Best wishes for another successful year!
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, was recently inducted as a Fellow, Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE), by the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUSBSE) and was recognized during a virtual ceremony at the World Biomaterials Congress on December 11, 2020. The honorary status of FBSE was established in April 1992 after the constituent biomaterials societies of the World Biomaterials Congress, now the IUSBSE, recognized the need for the public recognition of those of their members who have gained a status of excellent professional standing and high achievements in the field of biomaterials science and engineering.
Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is a rare maternally inherited mitochondrial genetic disease, characterized by the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells that results in brutal and irreversible vision loss that can lead to legal blindness, and mainly affects adolescents and young adults. LHON is associated with painless, sudden loss of central vision in the 1st eye, with the 2nd eye sequentially impaired. It is a symmetric disease with poor functional visual recovery. 97% of patients have bilateral involvement at less than one year of onset of vision loss, and in 25% of cases, vision loss occurs in both eyes simultaneously. The estimated incidence of LHON is approximately 800-1,200 new patients who lose their sight every year in the United States and the European Union.
Students from the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering and the School of Pharmacy designed and prepared experiments that will be conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Regenerative medicine focuses on the repair or replacement of tissue lost to injury, disease, or age, primarily via the enhancement of endogenous stem cell function or the transplantation of exogenous stem cells. The focus of rehabilitation science is on the use of mechanical and other stimuli to promote functional recovery. The field of Regenerative Rehabilitation integrates these two approaches, with the ultimate goal of optimizing outcomes. It is where applied biophysics meets tissue engineering and cellular therapies.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Jason Shoemaker, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering and Computational and Systems Biology, recently received National Institutes of Health funding for two R21s. Both of these R21s will be awarded from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
With a passion for research, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member MaCalus Hogan, MD, MBA, is interested in musculoskeletal regenerative medicine with a focus on tendon, ligament, and cartilage bioengineering. He is currently directing the Foot and Ankle Injury Research Group and co-directs the Musculoskeletal Growth and Regeneration Lab.
Inventor and assistive technology researcher Rory Cooper, PhD, has been appointed the University of Pittsburgh’s first-ever assistant vice chancellor for research for STEM-health sciences collaborations.
Darshit Thakrar, MD, is a California physician who lost his left leg in an accident five years ago but hasn’t let this tragedy be an obstacle when it comes to accomplishing his dreams. The surgical expertise of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member J. Peter Rubin, MD, FACS, Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery, the UPMC Endowed Professor of Plastic Surgery, Director of UPMC Wound Healing Services, and Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, was instrumental in helping Dr. Thakrar with his plans to run in an upcoming race for which he was training prior to the accident.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty members MaCalus Hogan, MD, MBA, Vice Chair of Education and Residency Program Director in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Associate Professor in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, and James Wang, PhD, Albert B. Ferguson, Jr., Chair and Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Director of the MechanoBiology Laboratory in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Professor in the Departments of Bioengineering and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, are co-authors of the paper entitled “Effect of metformin on development of tendinopathy due to mechanical overloading in an animal model” which received recognition from the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) during its 2020 Annual Meeting.
In a recent issue of the Annals of Surgery, epidemiologists from the University of Pittsburgh published an analysis that could help guide clinicians and policymakers in counseling bariatric surgery patients to improve their quality of life for many years to come. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Steven Belle, PhD, MScHyg, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and a co-director in the Epidemiology Data Center in the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, is a co-author on the study.
Duquesne University Department Chair and McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Faina Linkov, PhD, MPH, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her contributions to biobehavioral cancer research, global health work, and improving publishing opportunities for scientists in the developing world.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have combined synthetic biology with a machine-learning algorithm to create human liver organoids with blood- and bile-handling systems. When implanted into mice with failing livers, the lab-grown replacement livers extended life.
The first full-size 3D bioprinted human heart model using the Freeform Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels (FRESH) technique has been created by Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU’s) Adam Feinberg, PhD, and his team. The model, created from MRI data using a specially built 3D printer, realistically mimics the elasticity of cardiac tissue and sutures. This milestone represents the culmination of two years of research, holding both immediate promise for surgeons and clinicians, as well as long-term implications for the future of bioengineered organ research.
At the University of Pittsburgh, the Center for Military Medicine Research (CMMR) recognizes the urgency for innovating to meet the demands of an increasingly complex security environment. Researchers have focused current and future efforts in the areas of trauma, emergency, and critical care. In doing so, the multi-disciplinary and multi-organizational-led team aims to significantly enhance the trauma care of the warfighter with direct relevance to civilian trauma care while also spurring the economic growth in the Pittsburgh region.
Jorge Jimenez, a PhD candidate in bioengineering in the lab of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Morgan Fedorchak, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Chemical Engineering, and Clinical & Translational Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, and Marisol Villela Balderrama, a PhD student in history of art and architecture, led a team effort to earn a Year of Engagement 2020 award for “Diseño Juntxs (Design Together): Engineering and Art with the Latinx Community in Pittsburgh.” The Year of Engagement invited students, staff, and faculty to create partnerships that confront challenges to engagement and co-create solutions at the institutional, local, regional, statewide, national, or international levels in the 2020-21 academic year and beyond.
In the midst of rising COVID-19 case rates globally, Derek Angus, MD, MPH, and Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, return to JAMA’s Q&A series to update viewers on developments in the pandemic and the critical care management of COVID-19 patients. Dr. Angus is Chief Health Care Innovation Officer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, professor and chair of Critical Care Medicine, and a senior JAMA editor. Dr Walensky is Chief of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. This program was recorded November 19, 2020.
Over the past ten years, the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh has made a concerted effort to help its PhD students compete for external fellowships, with the goal of providing a well-rounded educational experience.
Genprex, Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing life-changing therapies for patients with cancer and diabetes, announced the addition of George Gittes, MD to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Gittes is the inventor of the Company’s licensed diabetes gene therapy technology that is currently in development and serves as the Chief of Pediatric Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief Emeritus at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Oncorus, a viral immunotherapies company focused on driving innovation to transform outcomes for cancer patients and a company spun out of the University of Pittsburgh, recently initiated an initial public stock offering, raising nearly $90 million as it enters clinical trials on its oncolytic virus cancer therapy. That amount is being called the “largest IPO of a Pitt spinout” by the University’s Innovation Institute.
A 2018 change in the policy to allocate hearts for transplantation appears to have come with a trade-off, UPMC physicians reveal in a new analysis published in JAMA Cardiology.
The Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR) in collaboration with Amgen and Eisai Co., Ltd., announced enrollment of the first patient in the immune modulation domain of REMAP-COVID, a sub-study of REMAP-CAP (A Randomized, Embedded, Multifactorial, Adaptive Platform trial for Community-Acquired Pneumonia) that tests multiple interventions for the treatment of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Amgen’s apremilast and Eisai’s investigational eritoran are being evaluated as potential therapeutic agents. Derek Angus, MD, MPH, is the U.S. Principal Investigator of REMAP, Chief Healthcare Innovation Officer, UPMC Health System, and an affiliated faculty member of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
The Michael G. Wells Competition is a part of the Pitt Ventures Student Challenge sponsored by the Michael G. Wells Entrepreneurial Scholars Fund and is for University of Pittsburgh students who are developing innovations related to the healthcare field. In 2020, the competition is celebrating its 10-year anniversary.
The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is an organization of nearly 36,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and the nervous system. Recently, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member John Pollock, PhD, received the SfN 2020 Science Educator Award for his work in promoting stem education and health literacy. Dr. Pollock leads a basic science research effort on the neurobiology of pain.
UPMC and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine physician-scientists—including McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Derek Angus, MD, MPH, UPMC chief healthcare innovation officer, chair of the UPP Department of Critical Care Medicine and physician director of the UPMC ICU Service Center, University of Pittsburgh’s inaugural associate vice chancellor for health care innovation, and Distinguished Professor and the Mitchell P. Fink Endowed Chair in Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine—contributed to a national study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reporting findings that “do not support” the use of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
SparingVision is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapies for the treatment of blinding inherited retinal diseases. SparingVision is developing SPVN06, a gene-independent treatment for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), the most common inherited retinal degeneration. There is currently no treatment to treat all genetic forms of this rare retinal disease that leads to blindness and affects nearly 2 million people worldwide. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member José-Alain Sahel, MD, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of
A recent study has validated a new patient-reported outcome measure that assesses fatigue in patients receiving long-term dialysis treatments. The results appear in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Mary Amanda Dew, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, Epidemiology, Nursing, and Biostatistics at the University of Pittsburgh and also a Professor at the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, is a co-author on this study.
The Pittsburgh Business Times (PBT) has announced the recipients of their 2020 CFO of the Year Awards, and Darleen Noah, Director of Fiscal Operations for the McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Plastic Surgery, is a recipient of a PBT CFO Award. These awards honor financial professionals in western Pennsylvania for outstanding performance as corporate financial stewards.
