Newsletter Archives - Regenerative Medicine at the McGowan Institute

Newsletter | May 2022

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2022 | May 27, 2022

The study demonstrated significant improvement in strength and range of motion, as well as evidence for skeletal muscle regeneration

May 2022 | VOL. 21, NO. 5| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Recruiting Patients – Clinical Trial – Volumetric Muscle Loss

We previously reported the results of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine that showed significant improvement in strength and range of motion, as well as evidence for skeletal muscle regeneration, in 13 patients who were surgically implanted with bioscaffolds derived from pig tissue to treat muscle injuries. The patients had failed to respond to conventional treatment before use of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The findings were published online in npj Regenerative Medicine. Read More

Newsletter | April 2022

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2022 | April 27, 2022

Drs. Kacey Marra (top) and Eric Lagasse

April 2022 | VOL. 21, NO. 4| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Drs. Kacey Marra and Eric Lagasse Recognized During Pitt’s Celebration of Innovation

The University of Pittsburgh Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship presented its 2022 Celebration of Innovation on April 21, 2022. This event recognized the achievements of Pitt faculty and student innovators who are seeking to improve people’s lives through the commercialization of their ideas and discoveries. In addition to recognizing all faculty and students who submitted an invention disclosure, were issued a U.S. patent, or had their innovation licensed, there were seven special awards presented. The efforts of two McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty members were recognized among these special awards. Read More

Newsletter | March 2022

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2022 | March 31, 2022

March 2022 | VOL. 21, NO. 3| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Dr. David Kaczorowski on Xenotransplantation

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member David Kaczorowski, MD, Surgical Director of the Advanced Heart Failure Center of UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute and an Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, was a member of the surgical team on the historic first successful transplant of a porcine heart into an adult human with end-stage heart disease. As a follow-up to this extraordinary accomplishment by the surgical team, Dr. Kaczorowski published an article entitled, “Organs from genetically engineered pigs may help shorten the transplant wait list,” in The Conversation. The article focuses on the history of xenotransplantion, or transplanting animal organs into human beings. The article is repeated here: Read More

Newsletter | February 2022

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2022 | February 28, 2022

February 2022 | VOL. 21, NO. 2| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

New Peer-Reviewed Publication Expanding Liver Regeneration Technology

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Eric Lagasse, PharmD, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh and a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of LyGenesis, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing cell therapies for patients with end stage liver disease, Type 1 diabetes, end stage renal disease, single enzyme deficiencies, and aging. Read More

Newsletter | January 2022

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2022 | January 28, 2022

January 2022 | VOL. 21, NO. 1| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Dr. David Kaczorowski Member of Surgical Team on Historic First Successful Transplant of Porcine Heart into Adult Human with End-Stage Heart Disease

In a first-of-its-kind surgery, a 57-year-old patient with terminal heart disease received a successful transplant of a genetically modified pig heart and is still doing well three days later. It was the only currently available option for the patient. The historic surgery was conducted by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) faculty at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), together known as the University of Maryland Medicine. Bartley P. Griffith, MD (pictured middle), surgically transplanted the pig heart into the patient. Read More

Newsletter | December 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | December 14, 2021

December 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 12| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Study Identifies Factor in ‘Young Blood’ That Helps Rejuvenate Aged Mouse Muscle

As we age, our muscles gradually become smaller, weaker, and less able to heal after injury. In a new study, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC researchers pinpoint an important mediator of youthfulness in mouse muscle, a discovery that could advance muscle regeneration therapies for older people. Read More

Newsletter | November 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | November 24, 2021

November 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 11| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Hemolung Respiratory Assist System Receives FDA De Novo Clearance

ALung Technologies, Inc., the leading provider of low-flow extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R) technologies for treating patients with acute respiratory failure, announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company De Novo clearance for the Hemolung Respiratory Assist System. This system was developed at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine by a team of researchers led by faculty member William Federspiel, PhD, the company’s cofounder and professor of bioengineering, chemical engineering, critical care medicine, and the Clinical Translation Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Federspiel is also the director of the Medical Devices Laboratory at the McGowan Institute. Read More

Newsletter | October 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | October 29, 2021

October 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 10| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Novel Gene Therapy Platform Speeds Search for Ways to Cure Blindness

A novel computational platform developed by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine identifies top-performing viral vectors that could deliver gene therapies to the retina with maximum efficiency and precision. Read More

Newsletter | September 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | September 30, 2021

September 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 9| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Dr. Fabrisia Ambrosio Named a 2021 Women of Influence Award Winner

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, is one of the 25 women being honored as Women of Influence. The awardees are women who were 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 will take place on October 6, 2021. Read More

Newsletter | August 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | August 30, 2021

August 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 8| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

ISSRDC Highlights Opportunities Within Biomanufacturing in Space

The 2021 International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) featured a fireside chat on biomanufacturing in space. Gary Rodrigue, MBA, director of programs and partnerships at the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), moderated a discussion with William Wagner, PhD, director of the University of Pittsburgh’s McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The discussion focused on the value of space-based biomanufacturing and the critical role of the orbiting laboratory in advancing this research area. Read More

Newsletter | July 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | July 30, 2021

July 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 7| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Pitt-UPMC Scientists Are Inventing mRNA Vaccine to Cure Liver Failure

Today, the only cure for end-stage liver disease is an organ transplant – an expensive treatment, and the demand for which outweighs the supply. Nearly 12,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a liver as of July 2021. Read More

Newsletter | June 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | June 30, 2021

June 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 6| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Injection of Light-Sensitive Proteins Restores Blind Man’s Vision

After 40 years of blindness, a 58-year-old man can once again see images and moving objects, thanks to an injection of light-sensitive proteins into his retina. Read More

Newsletter | May 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | May 25, 2021

May 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 5| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Serving Those Who Serve

The third Saturday in May marks National Armed Forces Day. Here are some In the News articles which detail the ways in which the research of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty members supports members of the military community: Read More

Newsletter | April 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | April 29, 2021

April 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 4| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Pitt Innovation Awards

In a April 22nd virtual presentation, the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute has recognized the achievements of three McGowan affiliated faculty members: Read More

Newsletter | March 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | March 30, 2021

March 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 3| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Pitt Health Academy: Research in Orbit

In 2019, the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory formed a research partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Read More

Newsletter | February 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | February 25, 2021

February 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 2| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

2021 Class of NAI Senior Members Announced

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has named 63 of the world’s best emerging academic inventors to its 2021 class of Senior Members. Three of those honorees are McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty members (pictured top to bottom): Read More

Newsletter |January 2021

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2021 | January 29, 2021

January 2021 | VOL. 20, NO. 1| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Breathing Easier with a Better Tracheal Stent

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. Read More

Newsletter |December 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | December 18, 2020

December 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 12| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Synthetic Biology and Machine Learning Speed the Creation of Lab-Grown Livers

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. Read More

Newsletter |November 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | November 25, 2020

November 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 11| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Hydroxychloroquine Doesn’t Help COVID-19 In Patients

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. Read More

Newsletter |October 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | October 30, 2020

October 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 10| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Dr. Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez Receives NIH Funding to Use Tiny, Bioengineered Organ Models to Improve Clinical Trials’ Development and Design

Approximately 85% of late-stage clinical trials of candidate drugs fail because of drug safety problems or ineffectiveness, despite promising preclinical test results. To help improve the design and implementation of clinical trials, the National Institutes of Health has awarded 10 grants to support researchers’ efforts in using tiny, bioengineered models of human tissues and organ systems to study diseases and test drugs. One major goal of the funded projects is to develop ways to better predict which patients are most likely to benefit from an investigational therapy prior to initiating clinical trials. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh and an affiliated faculty member of the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, is a co-principal investigator on one of the 10 recently funded projects. Read More

Newsletter |September 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | September 30, 2020

September 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 9| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

$31 Million Received to Study Regenerative Therapy Solutions for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Medicine

A multi-institute collaboration including the University of Pittsburgh received more than $31 million by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) to study regenerative therapies and to improve patient care by providing solutions for the unmet clinical problems in dental, oral, and craniofacial medicine. Read More

Newsletter |August 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | August 31, 2020

August 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 8| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Pigs Grow New Liver in Lymph Nodes

Hepatocytes — the chief functional cells of the liver — are natural regenerators, and the lymph nodes serve as a nurturing place where they can multiply. In a new study published in the journal Liver Transplantation, researchers in the Lagasse Laboratory showed that large animals with ailing livers can grow a new organ in their lymph nodes from their own hepatocytes. A human clinical trial is next. Read More

Newsletter | July 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | July 31, 2020

July 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 7| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

AR3T Receives 5-Year NIH Grant Extension

NIH awarded The Alliance for Regenerative Rehabilitation Research and Training (AR3T) a 5-year renewal of the AR3T grant totaling $5,010,083. AR3T was one of six resource centers selected for this funding, all of which are a part of the Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource (MR3) Network. Read More

Newsletter | June 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | June 26, 2020

June 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 6| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Lab-Grown Miniature Human Livers Successfully Transplanted in Rats

Using skin cells from human volunteers, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have created fully functional mini livers, which they then transplanted into rats. Read More

Newsletter | May 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | May 29, 2020

May 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 5| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

McGowan-Developed Technology Helps COVID-19 Patients

A respiratory dialysis system that employs technologies developed at the McGowan Institute Medical Devices Lab has been used to treat 16 COVID-19 patients, in conjunction with non-invasive or mechanical ventilation. The core technology developed at the Medical Devices Lab, was licensed to the spinout ALung Technologies, and ALung has designed and produced a clinically viable device, which is called the Hemolung® Respiratory Assist System (RAS). Read More

Newsletter | April 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | April 30, 2020

April 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 4| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Medical Devices Lab Technology May Help COVID-19 Patients

Under the direction of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member William Federspiel, PhD, the William Kepler Whiteford Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, the Institute’s Medical Devices Laboratory is developing clinically significant devices for the treatment of pulmonary and other cardiovascular ailments by utilizing the engineering principles of fluid flow and mass transfer. Read More

Newsletter | March 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | March 31, 2020

March 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 3| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

DARPA Awards $22M for ‘Smart’ Device that Regenerates Muscle

A multi-institution research team led by the University of Pittsburgh secured a $22 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a device combining artificial intelligence, bioelectronics and regenerative medicine to regrow muscle tissue, especially after combat injuries. Read More

Newsletter | February 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | February 28, 2020

February 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 2| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Dr. George Gittes’ Diabetes Gene Therapy Licensed to Genprex, Inc. Phase I Clinical Trial Next Step

Genprex, Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company announced that it signed an exclusive license agreement with the University of Pittsburgh for a diabetes gene therapy that may have the potential to cure Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, which together currently affect approximately 30.3 million people in the U.S, or 9 percent of the U.S. population. Read More

Newsletter | January 2020

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2020 | January 31, 2020

January 2020 | VOL. 19, NO. 1| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Researchers Regrow Damaged Nerves with Polymer and Protein

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers have created a biodegradable nerve guide — a polymer tube — filled with growth-promoting protein that can regenerate long sections of damaged nerves, without the need for transplanting stem cells or a donor nerve. Read More

Newsletter | December 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | December 20, 2019

December 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 12| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Dr. Stephen Badylak at TEDx Fairfield University

With its theme of Inspiration and Innovation, Fairfield University, Fairfield, Connecticut, hosted a recent TEDx on October 28, 2019. Read More

Newsletter | November 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | November 26, 2019

November 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 11| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Pitt Team’s Replacement Heart Valve Could Decrease Need for Pediatric Surgeries

Garrett Coyan, MD, sees many patients each week, from children to the elderly, to check on their replacement heart valves. Read More

Newsletter | October 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | October 22, 2019

October 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 10| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

The State of Cell-Based Therapies for Arthritis and Osteoporosis

A new report highlights the latest advances in cell-based therapies for the treatment of disorders of the musculoskeletal system, such as arthritis and osteoporosis, and it identifies key unanswered questions that should be addressed through ongoing research. The report is published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and concurrently in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, and was issued by a joint Task Force of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and the Orthopaedic Research Society. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Rocky Tuan, PhD, Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the former Associate Director of the McGowan Institute, is the co-chair of the Task Force. Read More

Newsletter | September 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | September 30, 2019

September 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 09| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Dr. Eric Lagasse’s Work Highlighted in Forbes

As reported by Forbes contributor Robin Seaton Jefferson, LyGenesis, Inc., hopes to enter human trials in 2020 on a therapy that could potentially give patients with end stage liver disease hope for new livers without having to wait on donated organs. The technology, developed through research from McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Eric Lagasse, PharmD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh and LyGenesis’ Chief Scientific Officer, uses lymph nodes as bioreactors to regrow functioning organs within a patient’s own body. The research found that a variety of different cells types and tissues, including the liver, could engraft and actually grow within lymph nodes. The company is working on injecting cadaver cells into lymph nodes to grow secondary livers. Read More

Newsletter | August 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | August 28, 2019

August 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 08| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

New Alliance with the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory

The McGowan Institute has formed an alliance with the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory to develop and demonstrate the how micro-gravity can improve regenerative medicine-based therapies. The ISS provides a unique platform to conduct studies in a microgravity environment. Read More

Newsletter | July 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | July 31, 2019

July 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 07| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Dr. Stephen Badylak to Receive BioMed SA’s 2019 Award for Innovation in Healthcare and Bioscience

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine Deputy Director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, a nationally recognized pioneer in stem cell and tissue regeneration, will receive BioMed SA’s 2019 Award for Innovation in Healthcare and Bioscience in San Antonio, Texas, September 19, 2019. Read More

Newsletter | June 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | June 28, 2019

June 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 06| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Preventive Drug Therapy May Increase Right-Sided Heart Failure Risk in Patients Who Receive Heart Devices

Patients with left-sided heart failure who get implanted devices to improve the pumping of their hearts may be more likely to develop heart failure on the opposite side of their hearts if they are pre-treated with off-label selective vasodilator drugs, according to new research published in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine Deputy Director Robert Kormos, MD, FAHA, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, past director of UPMC’s Artificial Heart Program, and the Brack G. Hattler Chair of Cardiothoracic Transplantation, is a co-author on this study. Read More

Newsletter | May 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | May 31, 2019

May 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 05| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Clinical Trials Moving Forward for ALung Technologies, Inc.

Technology developed in the McGowan Institute Medical Devices Lab under the leadership of William Federspiel, PhD, William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, and Critical Care Medicine has been incorporated into products for clinical use by ALung, a University of Pittsburgh spinout company. Dr. Federspiel is the Head of the Scientific Advisory Board and co-founder of ALung Technologies, Inc. The ALung devices are now being evaluated in several clinical trials. ALung is the leading provider of low-flow extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R) technologies for treating patients with acute respiratory failure. Read More

Newsletter | April 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | April 30, 2019

April 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 04| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Potential Treatment for Chronic Pain Getting Closer

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Joseph Glorioso III, PhD, Co-founder, CODA Biotherapeutics, and Professor and Emeritus Chair, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is working on a gene therapy approach for treating chronic pain. CODA is developing engineered neurotransmitter receptors that are activated exclusively by orally bioavailable drugs to control the activity of hyperexcitable neurons responsible for chronic neuropathic pain. The gene encoding the receptor is delivered to dysfunctional neurons by proprietary viral vectors that are optimized for robust and targeted gene transfer. Standard neurosurgical procedures are used to administer these viral vectors directly to the neurons to be controlled. Once expressed, the engineered receptor can be activated by the drug to modulate neuronal activity. This enables the selective, tunable and reversible regulation of the receptor – and hence cellular activity – based on the dosing regimen of the drug. CODA is engineering receptors to have exquisite sensitivity for the pharmacological activator, which should dramatically limit off-target side effects that plague many pharmaceutical treatments. Read More

Newsletter | March 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | March 27, 2019

March 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 03| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine Holds Its Annual Scientific Retreat

The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine held its 2019 Scientific Retreat March 11-12, 2019. The focus was on peer-to-peer networking, and the retreat provided many opportunities to explore collaborative endeavors with other researchers, participating guests, and external partners who are working to bring regenerative medicine technologies to clinical use. Read More

Newsletter | February 2019

By The McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine | Newsletter, Newsletter 2019 | February 26, 2019

February 2019 | VOL. 18, NO. 02| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Celebrating a Milestone—Dr. Stephen Badylak’s H-index Reaches 100

Congratulations to McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the Center for Pre-Clinical Tissue Engineering within the McGowan Institute, as his h-index (Scopus) has reached 100. The h-index is an author-level metric that attempts to measure both the productivity and citation impact of the publications of a scientist. The index is based on the set of the scientist’s most cited papers and the number of citations that they have received in other publications. Read More