McGowan Institute?
October 2004 | VOL. 10 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu
As covered in the New York Times on October 19, 2004, the University of Pittsburgh and Dolphin Quest-Waikoloa, Hawaii reported that an expert team of marine mammal veterinarians, medical researchers, cosmetic surgeons and dolphin trainers recently joined forces to apply the latest advances in human regenerative medicine in an attempt to restore a bottlenose dolphin’s damaged dorsal fin.
The procedure on Liko, a three-year-old male dolphin at Dolphin Quest on Hawaii’s Big Island, took place on July 30th and marked the first-ever marine mammal application of extracellular matrix tissue repair. Liko sustained a tear at the base of his dorsal (top) fin, likely in a game of “chase” with his dolphin cohorts. While wild dolphins have been observed with similar and more severe lacerations that may result in eventual loss of the dorsal fin, Dolphin Quest veterinarians organized the ground breaking procedure in an effort to keep as much of Liko’s dorsal fin intact as possible. A dolphin's dorsal fin consists of soft, cartilage-like tissue.
The use of extracellular matrix for the repair of soft tissues was developed by Dr. Stephen Badylak, Director of the Pre-Clinical Studies Center at the McGowan Institute and Research Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Once in place, the matrix, a 3-dimensional scaffold void of cells but with structural and functional proteins still intact, serves to recruit the appropriate cells for tissue remodeling without producing scarring.
The extracellular matrix used in Liko’s procedure was derived from pig urinary bladder and provided by Acell™ Inc., which was custom designed by Dr. Badylak and his team at the University of Pittsburgh for Liko in consultation with veterinarians Dr. Stone and Dr. Jay Sweeney, Dolphin Quest co-presidents.
A major challenge the team faced was keeping the application in place on an active dolphin in a salt water lagoon environment for the 10 days to two weeks it was expected to take for the soft tissue to sufficiently regenerate. The medical team employed a specially-designed sling custom-made by Otter Bay Wetsuits to protect the extracellular matrix patch.
Liko is also undergoing pioneering veterinary LED (light emitting diode) therapy to stimulate tissue growth and regeneration in his injured fin. Liko’s LED therapy treatments began in September with equipment donated by Dr. Worth and Thor Laser & LED Therapy. LED wavelengths are longer than laser light and penetrate deeper to increase energy metabolism at the cellular level. Though LED light is three times brighter than the sun, the medical treatment wands are cool to the touch, highly portable to use and do not damage skin of dolphins or humans.
Thermal imagery revealed patterns of increased vascular development in Liko’s dorsal fin and more rapid healing following application of localized LED therapy. Human cosmetic surgeon Faringer performed the initial procedure in July that prepped Liko’s wound for the sequence of fin-saving treatments to follow.
The most important member of the dolphin’s expert medical team is Liko, himself. The young dolphin’s calm comportment in human care allowed the initial surgery and weeks of groundbreaking intensive regenerative therapies without anesthesia or administration of sedatives.
“An important part of our animal care and training is building a relationship of mutual trust and conditioning our dolphins to being touched and treated by their veterinarians and trainers,” said George Biedenbach, Liko’s training director at Dolphin Quest Hawaii. “Liko’s cooperation makes him a key member of his own medical team and has gone a long way to improve his chances of a successful recovery.”
Liko’s dorsal fin continues its remarkable healing as the young dolphin continues to participate in his pioneering regenerative therapies in a quiet lagoon alongside the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort. Veterinarians are excited by his progress, but caution that Liko still has a ways to go on the road to recovery. “When we first put Liko’s medical team and treatment plan together, we were outwardly hopeful, but harbored some serious doubts that we would be able to save this dolphin’s dorsal fin,” said Dolphin Quest veterinarian Rae Stone. “But Liko’s surprised us all. Today we’re optimistic that his fin will eventually be fully reattached and strong enough to stand up to the rigors of a robust male dolphin lifestyle.” READ MORE
For additional coverage, see the New York Times; October 19, 2004.
The Artificial Lung Laboratory has been renamed to reflect the broader range of projects being addressed under the leadership of Dr. Federspiel and Dr. Hattler. Due to an expanding and diversified base of collaborators and funding sources the lab is addressing needs outside the artificial lung area. Based on the expanded mission, the lab has been renamed “Medical Devices Lab: Biotransport, Pulmonary and Cardiovascular” which more accurately reflects the nature of projects ongoing and anticipated for the lab.
RheoGene Inc. receives $2 million in NIST-ATP funds
RheoGene Inc. has been awarded a three-year, $2 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Advanced Technology Program (NIST-ATP) to develop novel techniques for site-specific insertion and control of therapeutic genes in human adult neural stem cells to treat incurable ocular diseases. RheoGene will use the award to develop new technologies that can also be broadly applied to enhancing the safety and efficacy of stem cell-based therapies and accelerate their advancement into the clinic.
The program will create novel neural stem cell therapies to restore lost vision in patients with retinal and optic nerve degeneration to improve patient quality of life. One critical outcome of this work will to be to develop a broadly applicable "safety switch" to improve the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of stem cell and gene-based therapeutics.
The technologies to be developed under this award also have broad application to advancing other stem cell therapies for chronic and incurable conditions through the regeneration and renewal of body tissues, including cardiovascular diseases and central nervous system disorders.
About RHeoGene Inc.
RheoGene Inc. is a wholly-owned affiliate of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center with corporate and research operations in Norristown, Pa, and an office for therapeutic development based in Pittsburgh, Pa. For more information, visit http://www.rheogene.com.
For additional information, please see:
McGowan Institute Newsletter: Volume 3, March 2004
“UPMC Acquires Biotech Firm”
McGowan Institute Newsletter: Volume 6, June 2004
“RheoGene Opens Office of Clinical Applications in Pittsburgh”
In a move that promises to make the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) one of the leading rehabilitation programs in the country, UPMC today announced the establishment of the UPMC Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (IRR) at UPMC South Side.
“By the year 2012, an estimated 20 percent of Americans will have some form of paralysis or other significant impairment. Baby boomers approaching the age where they are more likely to need rehab services paired with the large number of veterans with impairment from brain and spinal cord injury and limb loss promise to glut the system if we don’t make a concerted effort to come up with new therapies. This is a growing public health problem that we simply cannot ignore,” said Ross Zafonte, D.O., professor and chair, department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and McGowan Institute Faculty Member.
Similar to the highly-successful Hillman Cancer Center model, the IRR will house both the basic and clinical research facilities for the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation of the University of Pittsburgh, currently ranked 8th in National Institutes of Health funding among departments of its kind, and serve as the hub of the UPMC Rehabilitation Network. READ MORE
McGowan Institute faculty member Ivet Bahar, Ph.D., contributed to a study that identified a new enzyme that is believed to play a key role in maintaining the integrity of a cell’s genetic information – the basis by which the life of a cell or species is preserved – by allowing its DNA to be replicated despite discovery of a mishap on the sequence that it corrects with a new mistake. Its sophisticated yet quick-fix tactics, employed at a most critical time, when typically damage can halt replication altogether, may save the cell from near certain death. Harnessing its unique capabilities could have implications for treating some cancers. READ MORE
Under the leadership of Andrew Schwartz, Ph.D., a study has shown that a monkey can feed itself with a robotic arm simply by using signals from its brain, an advance that could enhance prosthetics for people, especially those with spinal cord injuries.
The robotic arm, or neural prosthesis, is about the size of a child’s arm and moves much like a natural arm, with a fully mobile shoulder and elbow and a simple gripper that allows the monkey to grasp and hold food while its own arms are restrained.
“The next step with this device is to add realistic hand and finger movement,” said Meel Velliste, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Schwartz lab. “This presents quite a challenge because there are hundreds of different subtle movements we make with our hands and we will need to interpret all of them.”
The arm was developed by the Pitt researchers and custom-built by Keshen Prosthetics in Shanghai, China. The software that controls the arm was developed at Pitt and Arizona State University. Modifications to the original arm were made at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.
In addition to Drs. Schwartz and Velliste and Mr. Spalding, other authors include Beada Jarosiewicz, Ph.D., and Gordon Kirkwood, both of the University of Pittsburgh.
Congratulations to George Engelmayr a PhD student in Dr. Sacks’ laboratory who was recently awarded an American Heart Association PA-DE Affiliate Pre-doctoral Fellowship (2 year fellowship with a 3rd year competitive renewal). His project started July 2004 and is entitled: "Optimizing Engineered Heart Valve Extracellular Matrix".
Diana Spencer
412-235-5156
spencerdk3@upmc.edu