Tissue Engineering

The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine has been one of the prolific research centers at the University of Pittsburgh over the past 25 years, particularly in terms of its impact from translating discoveries from the lab to the clinic/market. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

Synedgen, a biotechnology company using glycopolymer chemistry to develop therapeutics that enhance and control signaling in the innate immune system, announced the initiation of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the safety and effectiveness of SynePure™ Wound Cleanser (SynePure) in combination with Catasyn™ Advanced Technology Hydrogel (Catasyn) for the treatment of superficial partial thickness burn wounds. Read More

From ski slopes to Girl Scouts, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Rosalyn Abbott’s classroom of choice has evolved over the years, but her love for teaching and discovery remains a steady constant. On any given day, she can be found integrating biomaterials, namely silk, with tissue engineering techniques in her lab, or teaching introductory engineering courses to undergraduate students at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Her group’s latest research uncovered a novel finding—that silk scaffolding is responsive to ultrasound. Read More

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 recently interviewed by Olga Villaverde, the host of Dr. Q&A of AllHealthTV.com.  Dr. Rubin answered many medical questions from Ms. Villaverde and viewers. Read More

In its July 2021 edition, Healthcare Radius e-magazine covered the acellular biologic scaffold treatment for volumetric muscle loss (VML) research led by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine Deputy Director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, Professor in the Department of Surgery and Director of the Center for Pre-Clinical Tissue Engineering within the Institute. The article (pages 30-34) explained how VML is a severe and debilitating clinical medical problem and how Dr. Badylak’s team is helping to solve that problem. Read More

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Alejandro Almarza, PhD, Associate Professor in Oral Biology in the School of Dental Medicine with a secondary appointment in the Department of Bioengineering in the Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, recently received an NIH R01 Grant for his project titled “Polymer Scaffolds for Mandibular Condyle Cartilage Regeneration.” The project is in collaboration with McGowan Institute affiliated faculty member Juan Taboas, PhD, Associate Professor in Oral Biology in the School of Dental Medicine with a secondary appointment in the Department of Bioengineering in the Swanson School of Engineering, at Pitt.  The 4-year grant awards over $2.5 million towards their research. Read More

MTF Biologics, a global nonprofit organization that saves and heals lives by advancing tissue and organ donation, transplantation, and research, has awarded over $1 million in funding to 11 researchers across the nation through its 2020 Extramural Research Grants Program.  One of the 11 funding recipients is McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Mario Solari, MD, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology within University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine, and Director of the Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation and Microsurgery (VCAM) Laboratory, for his project entitled “Engineering Vascularized Soft Tissues for Definitive Complex Wound Reconstruction.”  Funding for this project is the MTF Biologics Allograft Tissue Research Grant, administered by the Plastic Surgery Foundation. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

DiFusion Technologies Inc., unveiled groundbreaking osteoimmunology data at the North American Spine Society 2020 Annual Meeting demonstrating the superiority of the new biomaterial ZFUZE over nano-surfaced titanium and conventional PEEK materials. ZFUZE is the first biomaterial specifically engineered to interact with the human immune system such that the human immune system does not attack it as a foreign body. These foreign body responses lead to long-term chronic inflammation and a multitude of patient complications. Read More

Just as a climbing plant needs the right trellis to thrive, a small-diameter tissue-engineered vascular graft (TEVG) needs the right scaffold to transform seeded cells into a native-like artery that can save a life. Read More

As a Senior Staff Writer for Orthopedics Today, Ms. Casey Tingle recently reviewed the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in the health care sector.  In her article she highlighted where AI may provide benefits to patients with musculoskeletal injuries.  Her work included input from McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, who said AI may be able to identify whether tissues that are healing from a traumatic injury will have a good or bad outcome based on certain biomarkers. Read More

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, is an inventor of 71 U.S. patents and over 300 patents worldwide. In August 2020, Dr. Badylak received two new patents relative to his work with extracellular matrix (ECM).  They are: Read More

Researchers from Sechenov University and the University of Pittsburgh compared the properties of two groups of extracellular vesicles. Either present in a liquid phase or attached to the fibers of the extracellular matrix, these vesicles facilitate metabolism and cell-cell communication. A better understanding of their structure, production and movement can help create new bioengineered materials and repair damaged tissues more quickly. Read More

Brain tissue lost after a stroke is not regenerated, although a repair response associated with neurogenesis does occur. A failure to regenerate functional brain tissue is not caused by the lack of available neural cells, but rather the absence of structural support to permit a repopulation of the lesion cavity. Inductive bioscaffolds can provide this support and promote the invasion of host cells into the tissue void.¹ Read More

As the Baby Boomer generation gets older, the number of Americans over 65 continues to grow. With this growth, there is a need for improved medical technology that will help clinicians more effectively treat common age-associated conditions such as heart disease — a leading cause of death in the U.S. Read More

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

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

Some of the most challenging medical conditions are acute brain injury and progressive neurodegenerative disease.  Aiming to examine these issues, Frontiers in Neuroscience recently published the review article entitled “Bioscaffold-Induced Brain Tissue Regeneration” by Michel Modo, PhD, Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh with secondary appointments in the Department of Bioengineering and the Center for Neural Basis of Cognition. Read More

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

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Fabrisia Ambrosio, PhD, MPT, Director of Rehabilitation for UPMC International and Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh with secondary appointments in the Departments of Physical Therapy, Bioengineering, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, and Carnegie Mellon University’s Philip LeDuc, PhD, William J. Brown Professor of Mechanical Engineering with appointments in Biological Sciences, Computational Biology, and Biomedical Engineering, the Founding Director of the Center for the Mechanics and Engineering of Cellular Systems, and a McGowan Institute affiliated faculty member, are the co-principal investigators on a recently awarded National Institutes of Health R01 grant entitled “Role of Extracellular Matrix in Age-Related Declines of Muscle Regeneration.” Read More

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Thomas Rando, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, and California and Florida researchers recently developed a two-pronged method that makes mouse leg muscles regrow better. Their research was recently published in Communications Biology. Read More

Starfish can repair injured arms and reptiles can regrow severed tails; from bacteria to humans, every species is capable of regeneration, albeit to variable extents. These functions help make species more resilient, but how can we apply the knowledge of these regenerative mechanisms to improve human health? The University of Pittsburgh Department of Bioengineering has been collaboratively working to address this question through research efforts in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Read More

In a major medical breakthrough, Tel Aviv University (TAU) researchers have ‘printed’ the world’s first 3D vascularized engineered heart using a patient’s own cells and biological materials.  The engineered heart completely matches the immunological, cellular, biochemical and anatomical properties of the patient. Read More

In the lab of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, professor of surgery, University of Pittsburgh, and director of the Center for Pre-Clinical Tissue Engineering within the McGowan Institute, the major focus is the development of regenerative medicine strategies for tissue and organ replacement. The utilization of mammalian extracellular matrix (ECM), or its derivatives, as an inductive template for constructive remodeling of tissue is a common theme of most research activities. Read More

Lizards can regrow an entire tail and salamanders can regrow a leg. Unfortunately, our human bodies mainly just close wounds and make scar tissue. But just imagine the possibilities if we could grow a new limb after an amputation or a new organ, rather than needing a transplant?  That is the focus of a recent interview by Julie Rose, BYU Radio, with McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, professor in the Department of Surgery and director of the Center for Pre-Clinical Tissue Engineering within the McGowan Institute. Read More

Peripheral nerve matrix (PNM) is an injectable gel derived from porcine tissue that promotes and supports repair and regeneration in injured peripheral nerves. PNM technology is based on 4 years of research in the laboratory of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Bryan Brown, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering with secondary appointments in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Pittsburgh, and the laboratory of McGowan Institute affiliated faculty member Jonathan Cheetham, VetMB, Diplomate ACVS, PhD, Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences at Cornell University.  PNM is the first product for Renerva, LLC, a Pittsburgh-based medical device company developing innovative technology for peripheral nerve injuries. PNM is protected by five patents licensed from the University of Pittsburgh and Cornell University. Read More

ECM Therapeutics, Inc. has licensed multiple extracellular matrix (ECM) technologies developed in the laboratory of Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD (pictured top), including hydrogels, bioactive derivatives and methods for delivering these materials within the body. Dr. Badylak is a professor in the Department of Surgery, a deputy director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the director of the Center for Pre-Clinical Tissue Engineering within the Institute. Read More

Extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel promotes tissue regeneration in many peripheral soft tissues. However, the brain has generally been considered to lack the potential for tissue regeneration.  In their study published in Acta Biomaterialia, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Michel Modo, PhD, Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh with secondary appointments in the Department of Bioengineering and the Center for Neural Basis of Cognition, and McGowan Institute 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 Institute, demonstrated that tissue regeneration in the brain can be achieved using implantation of ECM hydrogel into a tissue cavity. They and the research team further demonstrated that a structure-function relationship is key to promote tissue regeneration in the brain.  This approach offers new avenues for the future treatment of chronic tissue damage caused by stroke and other acute brain injuries. Read More

From the desk of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member J. Peter Rubin, MD, UPMC Endowed Professor and Chair of Plastic Surgery, Director, UPMC Wound Healing Services, Professor of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh: Read More

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is believed to provide pain relief and help improve joint function in degenerative joint disease, but a new study—coauthored by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Rocky Tuan, PhD, Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong—has shown that it does not act by promoting stem cell proliferation or enhance the cartilage formation capabilities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The effects of PRP treatment on cartilage formation and chondrogenesis in the presence of adult human MSCs derived from two different sources are reported in the study published in Tissue Engineering, Part A, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Read More

When an institution encourages the free flow of ideas and doesn’t rigidly define the roles of its researchers, new and better solutions are the result. And free-thinking scientists are the sort of people who are attracted to a collaborative environment that encourages risk-taking. These are the enironments where ideas are grown. Read More

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine congratulates George Hussey, PhD, and Jenna Dziki, PhD student, on their newly published Nature Reviews Materials article entitled, “Extracellular matrix-based materials for regenerative medicine.” It is featured on the cover of the July 2018 issue of the journal with a 3D image of the matrix network by Visuals Unlimited, Inc./Dr. Edna Cukierman. Read More

LyGenesis, Inc., a biotechnology company developing innovative technology for organ regeneration, announced recently that they have raised $3 million in Series A financing from Juvenescence, Ltd.  LyGenesis’ technology uses lymph nodes as bioreactors to regrow functioning organs within a patient’s own body. The financing will enable LyGenesis to complete the final preclinical work required to enable human clinical trials, which will initially focus on patients with end stage liver disease. Read More

Per the United Network for Organ Sharing, every ten minutes, someone is added to the national transplant waiting list in need of a kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, lung, or intestine, the most needed organs of 2017.  As of the end of January 2018, there were 114,883 people needing a lifesaving organ transplant (total waiting list candidates) with 74,722 of those people being active waiting list candidates.  Tragically, on average, 20 people die each day while waiting for a transplant.  More than 7,000 candidates died in 2016 while on the wait list, or within 30 days of leaving the list for personal or medical reasons, without receiving an organ transplant. Read More

When a patient with heart disease is in need of a vascular graft but doesn’t have any viable veins or arteries in his or her own body, surgeons can rely on synthetic, tissue-engineering grafts. However, the body often treats these substitutes as a threat and rejects them. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are developing synthetic grafts that mimic the body’s own blood vessels to mitigate many of the complications of bypass surgery. Read More