Regenerative Medicine Today

Listen to show #55 here!
RegenMedToday_055_Sep2008.mp3 [11.3 MB 00:19:33 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Dr. Newell Washburn who is an Assistant Professor, in the Departments of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. Washburn’s primary research interests include wound healing and bone tissue engineering though the use of biomaterials that can used to form novel polymeric scaffolds for regenerative therapy, transport and interactions of signaling proteins with scaffolds and extracellular matrix. His focus is on creating materials capable of regulating the activities of soluble signaling proteins involved in inflammatory and immune responses. He discusses his current studies, and shares his vision on the application of these emerging technologies for clinical applications.

For more information about the Washburn Lab, please Click Here

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

• McGowan Institute Patient Site
• McGowan Institute Research Site

Host John Murphy

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Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 09:24

Listen to show #54 here!
RegenMedToday_054_Aug2008.mp3 [12.3 MB 00:21:19 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Thomas Tillett who is the founding President and CEO of RheoGene. Under Mr. Tillett’s leadership, RheoGene established an innovative clinical development program with the RheoSwitch ™ Therapeutic System that has led to the first human clinical trial of a small molecule induced gene regulation system.

A Phase I clinical trial for melanoma was started in 2008. This represents a major advance for gene therapy therapeutics that offers the potential for significant improvements in safer and more controllable forms of gene therapy. RheoGene also received a $4.3 million grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation to support the development of a novel therapeutic for Parkinson’s disease.

Mr. Tillett also led the successful merger of RheoGene Inc. with Intrexon Corporation at the beginning of 2007.

Now as an independent expert and consultant, he shares with Regenerative Medicine Today his vision on the opportunities for gene therapy.

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

• McGowan Institute Patient Site
• McGowan Institute Research Site

Host John Murphy

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Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 08:41

Listen to show #53 here!
RegenMedToday_053_Jul2008.mp3 [16.2 MB 00:28:09 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Joel Schuman, MD.  Dr. Schuman is the Eye and Ear Foundation Professor and Chairman of Department of Ophthalmology.  He also serves as director of the UPMC Eye Center, and holds secondary appointments as a professor in Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh and professor, Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. Joel Schuman is considered to be one of the nation’s leading authorities on the treatment of glaucoma.  Dr. Schuman’s research interests include imaging of the eye, laser-tissue interactions, aqueous outflow, and clinical pharmacology. 

In this interview, he discusses diagnostic imaging and describes a new initiative via the Center for Ocular Regeneration and Vision Restoration.

Click Here to learn more about Dr. Schuman’s program.

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

• McGowan Institute Patient Site
• McGowan Institute Research Site

Host John Murphy

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 16:14

What is Regenerative Medicine?

Regenerative medicine is an exciting new field that seeks to understand how the body heals under normal conditions, then harness and amplify that process when and where it is needed most. Regenerative medicine treatments promote the growth of natural tissues or replicate the functions of those tissues to treat injuries and diseases that have not yet been conquered by traditional medicine. Regenerative medicine brings together biology, medicine, genetics, engineering, chemistry, robotics, computer science, and other fields to develop artificial organs, specially grown tissues and cells (including stem cells), laboratory-made compounds, and combinations of these approaches.

The podcasts available for listening/download are:

• Joel Schuman, MD., Eye and Ear Foundation Professor and Chairman of Department of Ophthalmology. He also serves as director of the UPMC Eye Center, and holds secondary appointments as a professor in Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh and professor, Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University. (7.29.08)
   

• Latha Satish, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Scarless Wound Healing Program at the Allegheny-Singer Research Institute (6.25.08)

• Jörg C. Gerlach, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh (6.6.08)

• Dr. Kacey Marra, Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Plastic Surgery Lab at the University of Pittsburgh.

• Steve Winowich, Director of Clinical Bioengineering with the Artificial Heart Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Chief Operating Officer of Vital Engineering, Inc. (3.24.08)

• Ms. Schanck is the Director, Education and Workforce Development at the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) (3.6.08)

• Dr. Phil G. Campbell, Research Professor, Institute of Complex Engineered Systems, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Also he has academic appointments in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Biological Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering, and the Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center at CMU. (2.15.08)

• Alan Wells, MD, DMS, Head of Cell Biology at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. At the University of Pittsburgh, he is Vice-Chair and Thomas J Gill III Professor of the Department of Pathology. In addition, Dr. Wells is the Medical Director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) CSLI, and the Staff Pathologist at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (2.1.08)

• Eric Lagasse, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Associate professor in the Department of Pathology and the Director of the Cancer Stem Cell Center, a joint venture between the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. (1.10.08)

• Peter Wearden, MD, PhD., Assistant Professor-Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Director Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and a faculty member at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (12.24.07)

• Dr. Jennifer Braemar Ogilvie, Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Section of Endocrine Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and a faculty member at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (11.27.07)

• SYIS-TERMIS-NA leadership reviews the vision and the operations of the Chapter and the benefits of students and post-doctoral fellows joining the Society (11.06.07)

• Dr. David Vorp, Associate Professor of Surgery and Bioengineering. Director of the Vascular Surgery and Vascular Biomechanics Research Lab (10.17.07)

• David S. Smith, corporate attorney at Pepper Hamilton LLP, specializing in intellectual property transactions, regulatory issues, and licensing. (09.30.07)

• Dr. Kim S. Jones, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University (09.17.07)

• Dr. Anshu Mathur, Assistant Professor in the new Inter-Institutional Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Plastic Surgery at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (08.31.07)

• Dr. George Christ, PhD, Professor at Wake Forest University and the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (08.15.07)

• Dr. Alejandro Nieponice, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh (08.01.07)

• Dr. Milica Radisic, Assistant Professor, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto (07.17.07)

• Dr. Baer, Director of the Research Office at the Institute of Surgical Research, San Antonio, Texas (06.28.07)

• Dr. Michael Sacks, Director of the Engineered Tissue Mechanics and Mechanobiology Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh (06.03.07)

• Dr. Bruno Peault, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh (05.18.07)

• Dr. Rory Cooper, Chair and Distinguished University Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, University of Pittsburgh. (04.30.07)

• Dr. Ajit Yoganathan, Regents' Professor, Associate Chair for Research, and the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. (04.24.07)

• Dr. Stephen Badylak, Professor at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh. (04.24.07)

• Thomas R. Harris, MD, PhD, Orrin Henry Ingram Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Medicine, Vanderbilt University; Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University (03.01.07)

• Michael Chancellor, MD, Professor of Urology, University of Pittsburgh; Director of Neurourology and Urinary Incontinence Programs, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh; practicing OB/GYN (02.13.07)

• Robert Eberhart, PhD, Professor, Department of Engineering in Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern (01.30.07)

• Yoram Vodovotz, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh (01.16.07)

• Alan J. Russell, PhD, Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; University Professor of Surgery, Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology, University of Pittsburgh (12.27.06)

• Peter DeComo, Co-Founder, Renal Solutions (12.15.06)

• Doros Platika, MD, former President and Chief Executive Officer, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse; current Chairman, Supercentenarian Research Foundation (11.29.06)

• Shelley Zomak and Judi Vensak, Managers of Team Pittsburgh during the 2006 and the upcoming 2008 Transplant Games (11.14.06)

• William Wagner, PhD, Deputy Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Associate Professor of Surgery, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh (10.27.06)

• Robert Kormos, MD, Medical Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Director, UPMC Artificial Heart Program (10.11.06)

• Harvey Borovetz, PhD, Deputy Director, Artificial Organs and Medical Devices, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Chair, Bioengineering Department, University of Pittsburgh (09.29.06)

• Peter Katona, PhD, Whitaker Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer from 2000 to 2006 (09.14.06)

• William Federspiel, PhD, William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Chemical Engineering, Surgery and Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh; Director, Medical Devices Laboratory: Biotransport, Pulmonary, and Cardiovascular, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
  AND
  Marina Kameneva, PhD, Research Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Professor of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh; Director, Artificial Blood Program, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (08.31.06)

• Kevin Shakesheff, PhD, Professor of Tissue Engineering, University of Nottingham; Founding Director, Tissue Engineering Group, University of Nottingham
  AND
  Nick Rhodes, PhD, Director, Cell Biology, University of Liverpool (08.16.06)

• Malla Padidam, PhD, Scientist, RheoGene, Inc.
  AND
  David S. Smith, Esq, Pepper Hamilton LLP (07.31.06)

• Professor Jöns Hilborn, Department of Materials Chemistry, Uppsala University, Sweden
  AND
  Ivan Martin, PhD, University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland (07.14.06)

• David Williams, PhD, Director, United Kingdom Centre for Tissue Engineering (UKCTE), a research collaboration among the University of Manchester and University of Liverpool
  AND
  Ms. Mary Ann Liebert, Publisher of more than 60 respected books and scientific journals (06.30.06)

• Anthony Atala, MD, Director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Chairman, Department of Urology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine (06.15.06)

• Patrick E. Crago, PhD, Allen H. and Constance T. Ford Professor and Chairman, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University (05.31.06)

• Savio L-Y. Woo, PhD, DSc, W. K. Whiteford Professor, Department of Bioengineering; Professor, Mechanical Engineering; Professor, Rehabilitation Science and Technology, University of Pittsburgh (05.15.06)

• Van C. Mow, PhD, Stanley Dicker Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedic Bioengineering; Chairman, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University (04.26.06)

• Carolyn Green, Director of the Office of Enterprise Development, Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh (04.14.06)

• Andrés J. García, PhD, Associate Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology's Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (03.31.06)

• Amit N. Patel, MD, MS, Director, Center for Cardiac Cell Therapy, UPMC and McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (03.13.06)

• Frederick J. Schoen, MD, PhD, Professor, Pathology and Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital (03.01.06)

• Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, Research Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh; Director, Center for Pre-Clinical Tissue Engineering, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (02.14.06)

• Alyssa Panitch, PhD, Associate Professor, Harrington Department of Bioengineering, Arizona State University (01.24.06)

• Alan J. Russell, PhD, Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; University Professor of Surgery, Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology, University of Pittsburgh (12.15.05)

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast Index at 10:15

Listen to show #52 here!
RegenMedToday_052_Jun2008.mp3 [11.9 MB 00:20:44 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Latha Satish, Ph.D.  Dr. Satish is a Research Assistant Professor, Scarless Wound Healing Program at the Allegheny-Singer Research Institute.

Her focus is on the biology of scarless wound healing, with specific interest on identifying novel genes that are responsible for scarless wound healing. 

As she describes, wound healing is a complex biological process that involves migration and proliferation of cells to repopulate the defect, synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins and remodeling of scar to re-establish the organ integrity. Further complicating this is that to regenerate functional skin, the dermal and epidermal layers should act in an orchestrated manner. How the major cells of each layer, fibroblasts in the dermis and keratinocytes in the epidermis coordinate their response is unknown.

Click Here to learn more about Dr. Satish’s program.

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

• McGowan Institute Patient Site
• McGowan Institute Research Site

Host John Murphy

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 11:30

Listen to show #51 here!
RegenMedToday_051_Jun2008.mp3 [11.9 MB 00:29:27 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Jörg C. Gerlach, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Gerlach is Professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to his current appointment Dr. Gerlach founded the Charité Institute for Transplantation and Organ Regeneration (CITO) at the Charité Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University Berlin, Germany.

His specialties lie in surgery, hepatology, intensive care and experimental transplantation medicine. Additionally, he has an engineering background with expertise in artificial organ development, hybrid system research and preclinical trial efforts.

Dr. Gerlach discusses his work on the development of tools such as bioreactors for the expansion of cells so that sufficient cells are available for cell-based therapies.  Areas of focus include pancreas, and liver.  He also explores the development of “cell factories” for the production of cells from a patient’s bone marrow.

Another of Dr. Gerlach’s interests is cell-based burn therapy, which is described on the interview.

Click Here to learn more about Dr. Gerlach’s Bioreactor Group

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

• McGowan Institute Patient Site
• McGowan Institute Research Site

Host John Murphy

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 15:01

Listen to show #50 here!
RegenMedToday_050_Apr2008.mp3 [11.6 MB 00:20:03 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Dr. Kacey Marra

Dr. Marra is an Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Plastic Surgery Lab at the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Marra’s research is focused on the use of adipose derived stem cells for the regeneration of nerve, bone, adipose and cartilage.  The lab uses adipose-derived stem cells for these bioengineering applications.

The Lab is combining basic science and clinical research to turn innovative ideas into realities through the use of adult stem cells derived from fat. Fat, or adipose tissue, contains an abundant number of adult stem cells, over 10 times more than in bone marrow. These cells not only regenerate adipose tissue, but they can reconstruct a variety of injuries and defects by being coaxed to develop into nerves, bone, or cartilage.

Finally, Dr. Marra discusses her strong commitment to mentoring women and minorities in the career opportunities that are available in science and medicine.

Adipose Stem Cell Center, click here

Click Here for more information on the Plastic Surgery Research program

Click Here for Research Opportunities for High School Students (ROHSS)

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

• McGowan Institute Patient Site
• McGowan Institute Research Site

Host John Murphy

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 14:30

Listen to show #49 here!
RegenMedToday_049_Mar2008.mp3 [14.9 MB 00:25:56 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Steve Winowich

Steve Winowich is the Director of Clinical Bioengineering with the Artificial Heart Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and he is also the Chief Operating Officer of Vital Engineering, Inc.

Mr. Winowich describes a unique partnership between the clinical staff and a team of bioengineers and nurses who are a key component of a very successful program that provides mechanical circulatory support to patients that are waiting for a heart transplant.  Supplemental circulatory support has been traditionally used as a bridge to a transplant, but there are also cases where the circulatory support has also been used as a bridge to recovery.

The discussion includes a synopsis of the current state-of-the-art and a review of how artificial heart technology has improved over the years.  The program at UPMC has matured and through Vital Engineering, Inc. bioengineering support for mechanical circulatory support is now provided around the world.

Click Here for more information on the Artificial Heart Program

For Clinical Applications

Click Here for more information about Vital Engineering

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

• McGowan Institute Patient Site
• McGowan Institute Research Site

Host John Murphy

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 08:52