Newsletter 2015

December 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 12| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

5 Years and Growing:  Regenerative Rehabilitation

It was in 2010 that the Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development published the guest editorial article entitled “Regenerative rehabilitation: A call to action” which was co-authored by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Fabrisia Ambrosio, PhD, MPT, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh with secondary appointments in the Departments of Physical Therapy, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.  In that piece, the authors explained:

Read More

November 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 11| www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Throwback 1985:  First Artificial Heart Used in Pittsburgh

It was 30 years ago on October 24 in Pittsburgh that a Jarvik-7 total artificial heart was implanted into a patient at Presbyterian University Hospital.  This was the first clinical use of a mechanical blood pump in Pittsburgh, and 47-year-old Thomas Gaidosh (pictured) was the first recipient of this artificial heart.  The surgery was an emergency measure to keep Mr. Gaidosh alive until a donor heart was available for him.  The event was front page news in the Pittsburgh Press.

Read More

October 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 10 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Lab-Grown 3-D Intestine Regenerates Gut Lining in Pre-Clinical Trial

Working with gut stem cells from humans and mice, scientists from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and the University of Pittsburgh have successfully grown healthy intestine atop a 3-D scaffold made of a substance used in surgical sutures. In a further step that takes their work well beyond proof of concept, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, Pitt graduate students Jenna Dziki and Timothy Keane, and researchers report their laboratory-created intestine successfully regenerated gut tissue in the colons of pre-clinical animals with missing gut lining.

Read More

September 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 9 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Pittsburgh’s 25th Anniversary of First VAD Patient to Be Discharged from a Hospital

Twenty-five years ago a historic medical event occurred in Pittsburgh. In 1990, Brian Williams, a teenager from Georgia, was the first ventricular assist device (VAD) patient to be discharged from the hospital with formal approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Mr. Williams was discharged from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Presbyterian Hospital to a local Family House, where he lived with his parents while waiting for a heart transplant. As amplified below, substantial progress has been made in the size and reliability of VAD systems since 1990 through collaborative efforts between McGowan faculty and device manufacturers. Over the years, Mr. Williams has told his incredible story to audiences of bioengineers, including students and faculty nationwide. He also has experienced much happiness in his life. He has completed his undergraduate and graduate education, is married to Jenny, and has a son, Jacob.

Read More

August 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 8 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Computer Simulation Predicts Development, Progress of Pressure Sores

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have devised a computational model that could enhance understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of pressure ulcers related to spinal cord injury. In a report published online in PLOS Computational Biology, the team also described results of virtual clinical trials that showed that for effective treatment of the lesions, anti-inflammatory measures had to be applied well before the earliest clinical signs of ulcer formation.

Read More

July 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 7 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Exploring the Future of Eye Transplantation
Although corneal transplants are routinely performed today, whole-eye transplantation has remained an unrealized goal in vision restoration because of challenges related to immune rejection and reestablishing the connectivity of the optic nerve to the visual centers in the brain. The Audacious Restorative Goals in Ocular Sciences (ARGOS) Consortium established at the University of Pittsburgh is the first cross-disciplinary, systematic attempt to explore strategies to enable corneal regeneration, retinal cell survival, long-distance optic nerve regeneration with cortical integration, and whole-eyeball transplantation.

Read More

June 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 6 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Computer Simulation Accurately Replicated Real-Life Trauma Outcomes

A computer simulation, or in silico model, of the body’s inflammatory response to traumatic injury accurately replicated known individual outcomes and predicted population results counter to expectations, according to a study recently published in Science Translational Medicine by a University of Pittsburgh research team which included McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty members—Yoram Vodovotz, PhD, professor of surgery and director of the Center for Inflammation and Regenerative Modeling at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Timothy Billiar, MD, George Vance Foster professor and chair, Pitt Department of Surgery, Ruben Zamora, PhD, research associate professor at the Pitt’s Department of Surgery, and Gregory Constantine, PhD, professor of mathematics and statistics at Pitt.

Read More

May 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 5 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Clifford Brubaker to End 25-Year Tenure as Dean of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Clifford E. Brubaker, PhD, who has served as professor and dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) for nearly 25 years, will step down from the deanship on July 1. Dr. Brubaker, a Distinguished Service Professor of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, also holds appointments in the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Department of Neurological Surgery, and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

Read More

April 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 4 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

From Bench to Bedside: Technology Developed by McGowan Faculty Used in Clinical Setting

Based on core 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 a product called the Hemolung Respiratory Assist System (RAS) which is a dialysis-like alternative or supplement to mechanical ventilation. 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. The Hemolung story is a great example of moving university research from the laboratory to the market to make the world a better place and is the focus of this latest video.

Read More

March 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 3 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine: 2015 Annual Scientific Retreat

The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine held its 2015 Scientific Retreat March 8-10, 2015. 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 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 2 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

McGowan Institute Affiliated Faculty Receive Awards for Excellence

The Carnegie Science Center established the Awards for Excellence program in 1997 to recognize and promote outstanding science and technology achievements in Western Pennsylvania. The Carnegie Science Awards have honored the accomplishments of more than 400 committed individuals and organizations that have improved lives through their contributions in science and technology. Award winners were announced on January 29, 2015. On May 8, 2015, at the Carnegie Music Hall the following McGowan affiliated faculty members will be honored for their tremendous work and its impact on the vitality in the region:

Read More

January 2015 | VOL. 14, NO. 1 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

New Machine-Perfusion Organ Preservation System Keeps Livers Healthier for Transplant

A new preservation system has been developed that pumps cooled, oxygen-rich fluid into donor livers not only keeps the organs in excellent condition for as long as 9 hours before transplantation, but also leads to dramatically better liver function. This system offers the potential to increase the survival of liver transplant recipients, according to a series of preclinical studies by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC, and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The system could be tested with transplant patients at UPMC later this year.

Read More