Newsletter 2014

December 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 12 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Patient’s Own Stem Cells Could Clear a Cloudy Cornea

Treating the potentially blinding haze of a scar on the cornea might be as straightforward as growing stem cells from a tiny biopsy of the patient’s undamaged eye and then placing them on the injury site, according to pre-clinical model experiments conducted by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty members James Funderburgh, PhD, Yiqin Du, MD, PhD, and researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published in Science Translational Medicine, could one day rescue vision for millions of people worldwide and decrease the need for corneal transplants.

Read More

November 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 11 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Team Discovers Stem Cells in the Esophagus—Could Lead to New Models to Study Esophageal Disease

Despite previous indications to the contrary, the esophagus does have its own pool of stem cells, said senior investigator Eric Lagasse, PharmD, PhD, associate professor of pathology, Pitt School of Medicine, and director of the Cancer Stem Cell Center at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in an animal study published online in Cell Reports. The findings could lead to new insights into the development and treatment of esophageal cancer and the precancerous condition known as Barrett’s esophagus.

Read More

October 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 10 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Needle Treatment for Glaucoma Shows Promise: A Monthly Injection That Might Replace Eye Drops Used Twice Daily

As reported by Ann Lukits of the Wall Street Journal, Pittsburgh scientists led by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Steven Little, PhD, chairman of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering and associate professor and CNG faculty fellow in the Departments of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Bioengineering, Immunology, and Ophthalmology, are working to develop new techniques to administer medication for glaucoma patients that replace the usual regimen of twice-daily eye drops, a sometimes unreliable treatment. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Joel Schuman, MD, Eye and Ear Foundation professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, with secondary appointments as professor of bioengineering and of clinical and translational science, and professor at the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, a University of Pittsburgh/Carnegie Mellon University collaboration, was a member of the research team as well.

Read More

September 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 9 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Use of TissuGlu® Surgical Adhesive in abdominoplasty procedures. –Cohera Medical, Inc.

Several years ago, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Eric Beckman, PhD, George M. Bevier Professor of Engineering in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, and Michael Buckley, MD, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, invented a novel medical adhesive technology. The new adhesive—now known as TissuGlu®—was designed to meet a market demand for a strong, safe tissue adhesive to improve the wound closure process. The product positions tissues for optimal healing while minimizing fluid accumulation. To move the University of Pittsburgh-developed technology towards clinical use, Cohera Medical, Inc. was formed, and the intellectual property was licensed by the University to Cohera.

Read More

August 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 8 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Technology Developed by McGowan Faculty Permitted the First U.S. Implant of a Medical Device Before Lifesaving Double Lung Transplant

Based on technology developed by McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine faculty members William Federspiel, PhD, W.K. Whiteford professor of bioengineering, chemical engineering, and critical care medicine, and the late Brack Hattler, MD, ALung Technologies developed the Hemolung Respiratory Assist System (RAS) as a dialysis-like alternative or supplement to mechanical ventilation.  Earlier this year, the Hemolung RAS was implanted into the first person in the U.S. at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).  The device was used as a bridge to transplantation upon receiving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval to use the technology on a compassionate use basis.

Read More

July 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 7 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Stem Cells from Muscle Can Repair Nerve Damage After Injury

Stem cells derived from human muscle tissue were able to repair nerve damage and restore function in an animal model of sciatic nerve injury, according to McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty members Johnny Huard, PhD, Professor in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Bioengineering, Pathology, Pediatrics, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Director of the Stem Cell Research Center, and Donna Stolz, PhD, Associate Director of the Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Associate Professor in the Departments of Cell Biology and Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh, and researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest that cell therapy of certain nerve diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, might one day be feasible.

Read More

June 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 6 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Malfunction in Molecular ‘Proofreader’ Prevents Repair of UV-Induced DNA Damage

Malfunctions in the molecular “proofreading” machinery, which repairs structural errors in DNA caused by ultraviolet (UV) light damage, help explain why people who have the disease xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) are at an extremely high risk for developing skin cancer, according to McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Simon Watkins, PhD, founder and director of the Center for Biologic Imaging and a professor and vice chairman within the Department of Cell Biology at the University of Pittsburgh, and researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). Their findings are published in the online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Read More

May 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 5 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Regenerative Medicine Improves Muscle Strength and Function in Leg Injuries

Damaged leg muscles grew stronger and showed signs of regeneration in three out of five men whose old injuries were surgically implanted with extracellular matrix (ECM) derived from pig bladder (pictured), according to a new study conducted by McGowan Institute affiliated faculty. Early findings from a human trial of the process and from animal studies were published recently in Science Translational Medicine.

Read More

April 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 4 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Platelet-Rich Plasma and Fat Grafting: An Option?

A Leader in Immunogenetics

As reported by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member co-authors J. Peter Rubin, MD, Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery, UPMC Endowed Professor of Plastic Surgery, and Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, Co-Director of the Adipose Stem Cell Center, and is Founder and Director of the Center for Innovation in Restorative Medicine in the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, and Kacey Marra, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, Director of the Plastic Surgery Laboratory, and Co-Director of the Adipose Stem Cell Center, autologous fat grafting is an important treatment option for small to medium soft tissue defects derived from tumor ablation, congenital deformity, and traumatic injury. The advantages are that autologous fat is easy to obtain in large quantities and the procedure is less uncomfortable and risky to patients; the operation is of short duration, can sometimes be performed under local anesthesia, and simultaneously achieves an aesthetic result in both the donor and recipient sites. However, the disadvantages of fat grafting are an unpredictable and variable reabsorption rate of around 40%–60%, resulting in the need for repeated procedures, and microcalcifications and cyst formation due to fat necrosis. Reabsorption and fat necrosis are believed to be caused by insufficient neoangiogenesis around the fat graft, thus resulting in adipocyte apoptosis due to lack of nutrient supply and accumulation of metabolic waste.

Read More

March 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 3 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

McGowan Institute Holds Its Annual Scientific Retreat

The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine held its 2014 Scientific Retreat March 9-11, 2014. 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

February 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 2 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Type 1 Diabetes: A Treatment’s In Sight?

A Leader in Immunogenetics

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Massimo Trucco, MD, is an international leader in the field of immunogenetics, having dedicated his life’s work to finding a cure for diabetes. Dr. Trucco is the Director of the Division of Immunogenetics at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Hillman Professor of Pediatric Immunology at Children’s Hospital, and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Read More

January 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 1 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Pioneering Initiative = Improved Standard of Care + Educational Success

On January 15, 2014, the UPMC Artificial Heart/Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program achieved a remarkable milestone: 100,000 cumulative days of circulatory support in 830 heart failure patients beginning in October 1985 through January 2014.

Read More