McGowan Institute?
August 2008 | VOL. 7, NO. 8 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu
In Tribute to Brack G. Hattler, MD, PhD
It was with deep sadness that we learned the news of Dr. Brack Hattler’s passing last month. Dr. Hattler, a vital member of the scientific and the clinical community, left us on July 31, 2008. He will be remembered as a superb surgeon, a pioneering scientist, an advocate of advancing the state-of-the-art in patient care, a friend, and a colleague.
Dr. Hattler was a professor of Surgery and held the Kathleen DuRoss Ford Chair in Cardiothoracic Transplantation. In the end, however, he was a man made up of much more than his titles, as a glance at local newspapers at the time of his death confirmed. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called him a “Renaissance Man” and wrote that besides being a skilled surgeon and inventor, Dr. Hattler was known as a world traveler, a high-risk adventurer, and a talented amateur poet.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review talked about his dedication to his community in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh and the fact that he was always willing to work on Christmas Day so that other doctors could spend time with their families. "He was eternally optimistic, always saw the positive side and the potential," said one longtime friend, Dr. John Lazo. “Dr. Hattler is the only reason I am alive,” wrote another person, anonymously, in an online guestbook.
Dr. Hattler’s research efforts focused on the advancement of artificial lung devices. He developed and patented an intravenous membrane oxygenator, originally conceived and used because of the crucial need for new forms of therapy in the treatment of reversible lung injury. Dr. Hattler’s latest research effort was in developing the Hattler Respiratory Support Catheter, emphasizing various means for improving gas exchange in artificial lung devices.
A prime example of his commitment to advocacy was the Brack Hattler “Big Bike Ride,” a bicycle trip across America that Dr. Hattler and his wife Jean Anne took on last summer to raise funds and awareness for the American Lung Association’s critical research, education and advocacy programs. Click Here for additional details.
Many researchers, physicians and patients are eternally grateful for the benefits that they have already derived from Dr. Hattler’s scientific and clinical skills, and many more will benefit as his technologies continue to mature. Brack Hattler has been a friend and a rock in many storms. As we continue to reflect on his passing, we again extend our support and condolences to Jean Anne and the Hattler Family.
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Arnold Caplan, PhD, of Case Western Reserve University will be the next speaker in the McGowan Institute Distinguished Lecturer Series. Dr. Caplan’s lecture is scheduled for October 23, 2008 at 4:00 pm in Scaife Auditorium 5 on the fourth floor of Scaife Hall. A Moleculart Reception with art and light refreshments will follow in the Scaife Conference Center 1105 A&B.
Dr. Caplan’s lecture is entitled, “Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells: New Cell-based Therapies for Regenerative Medicine” Dr. Caplan is a professor of Biology and director of the Skeletal Research Center at Case. He is known as a pioneer in the fields of developmental biology and regenerative medicine for his identification of mesenchymal stem cells and the establishment of certain correlating fundamentals in cell biology.
The Moleculart Exhibition will feature the paintings of Jason Shorr. Mr. Shorr’s paintings combine human anatomy with art and were previously displayed as part of “Bodies…The Exhibition,” a high-profile show at the Carnegie Science Center this past Spring.
The 8th Annual McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine Scientific Retreat is set to take place on March 8-11, 2009 at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Under the leadership of Dr. William Wagner, the program committee is planning an exciting group of speakers and topics. Keep abreast of future updates by checking program listings on the Institute website under Events.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Ron Shapiro, MD, of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, recently assessed a new therapy developed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center which may improve transplant rates and outcomes for patients awaiting kidney transplantation. The new therapy, which combines cancer drug Rituximab with infusions of intravenous immune globulin, reduced rejection rates and improved outcomes by more than 70% in a small sampling of kidney transplant patients who were previously considered to be poor candidates for transplantation surgery. It also considerably improved the chances that a donor could be found for these hard-to-match patients.
Dr. Shapiro comments in the July 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (359(3):305-6.)in an editorial entitled “Reducing antibody levels in patients undergoing transplantation.” The editorial accompanies the article “Rituximab and intravenous immune globulin for desensitization during renal transplantation” announcing the results of the study and authored by Ashley Vo, PharmD, and colleagues at Cedars-Sinai.
“As the authors note,” says Dr. Shapiro, “their observations need to be confirmed and validated by other centers and in larger numbers of patients and during longer periods of follow-up. However, their approach may represent a breakthrough in the care of sensitized patients awaiting transplantation and may have the potential to help thousands of patients who are languishing on waiting lists around the world.”
Approximately one-third of the 74,000 patients awaiting kidney transplant surgery are considered to be poor candidates for the surgery because the risk is too high that their immune systems will reject the transplanted organ.
Read more…
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center News Release
Dr. Bruce Pitt, MIRM faculty member and professor and chair of the Graduate School of Public Health’s Environmental and Occupational Health Department at the University of Pittsburgh, acted as the principal investigator for a program of summer laboratory internships aimed at disadvantaged high school students. The internships were set up to help young people explore careers in biomedical research or environmental health science. The program has been funded through 5 years by a $300,000 grant from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and is one of 10 such initiatives at universities around the country.
Known as PITT-STEER—University of Pittsburgh Short Term Education Experience for Research—the program consisted of a group of six students selected from about 60 Pittsburgh Public School applicants based on grade transcripts, letters of recommendation, and student interest.
According to Dr. Pitt, the 10-week program will help build the future pool of health science researchers and clinicians. “The population of environmental health sciences is unpredictable, and this program is a chance to create a pipeline to future health sciences careers,” said Dr. Pitt. “We’re gong to run out of good people if we don’t reach down. All of these kids are very bright” [but] “many don’t have a good idea of the opportunities in public health.”
Read more : Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
More than 100 physicians and scientists from around the country discussed the latest findings in pancreatic research at the recent PancreasFest 2008 at the Hillman Cancer Center. David Whitcomb, MD, PhD, Giant Eagle Foundation Professor of Cancer Genetics and MIRM faculty member, was one of the two primary course directors for PancreasFest.
Topics covered at the event included new therapeutic approaches for treating pancreatic cancer, how to manage complications after pancreas surgery, and the current status and utility of biomarkers. The event was intended to encourage multi-center collaborations and assist junior researchers in developing academic careers centering on the pancreas.
“In many ways the pancreas is still a mystery,” said Dr. Whitcomb, also a professor of Medicine, Cell Biology & Physiology, and Human Genetics. “Although we’ve made a lot of progress in understanding the pancreas, especially in terms of its genetic relationships, we have a long way to go.” Dr. Whitcomb went on to point out the necessity of collaboration with researchers from other institutes to build up patient registries for research studies and clinical trials since diseases of the pancreas usually strike such a small percentage of the population.
A panel discussion at PancreasFest on “Multicisciplinary Approaches to Pancreatic Cancer” featured another MIRM faculty member, Nathan Bahary, MD, PhD.
Rory A. Cooper, PhD, served as master of ceremonies and as a speaker at the August 14, 2008 “Pennsylvania Disabled Veterans Rehab and Vocational Retraining Project: Community Response Symposium III.” The symposium took place in Johnstown, PA at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. Focusing on identifying the best practices for meeting the needs of service members returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the program featured speakers from local, state, and federal government along with community leaders.
“This symposium and ensuing dialogue are critical for the Commonwealth and our military veterans, said Dr. Cooper. “Our goal is to bring together local, regional and national leadership to continue a dialog with veterans, families, researchers, and service providers.”
Dr. Cooper is director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh, a professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and a MIRM faculty member.
The Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) partnered with McGowan Institute this summer for another successful high school internship program. Three students from Allegheny County high schools spent six weeks in Institute laboratories gaining valuable skills that will aid in their future academic careers. The students, chosen from over a hundred applicants, were: Lindsay Johnston (Wiegand intern, graduating senior from West Mifflin Area High School), Siddarth Govindarajan (PTEI intern, a junior from Moon Area High School), and Charlynn White (PTEI intern, graduating senior from Perry Traditional Academy).
In addition to interning in Institute labs, the three students also served as counselors for the annual PTEI Middle School Summer Camp where they focused on the science of tissue engineering. Also highlighted this year was a visit to the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education and Research (WISER). The WISER Center, a joint venture between the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, is the world’s largest health care simulation lab affiliated with an academic medical center. At WISER, the interns were able to interact with life-like mannequins that breathe, bleed, cough, and cry.
The programs concluded with the annual Wiegand luncheon on July 29, 2008. At that time, Lindsay Johnston gave a presentation recapping what she learned during her internship. The two PTEI interns prepared a poster for the PTEI Poster Session held at Station Square the first week of August.
Thanks to the generosity of the Wiegand family and the funding from PTEI, we look forward to another successful program in 2009.
Photo captions: Top-John Murphy congratulates Wiegand intern Lindsay Johnston. Middle-Donna Haworth of the Vorp Lab provides an overview of MIRM to students and guests at the PTEI poster session. Bottom-PTEI intern Sid Govindarajan beside his poster at the Station Square venue.
Special instructions for photos: Photo size set at approximately 2.2x2.9. Please crop top photo 2” on left and right and 1.5” top and bottom. Middle photo is cropped .3” on left and right. The lower photo has another image that must be cropped from the photo. Please crop to remove the image of the womanCrops were done in Word, need to crop in Photoshop.
The McGowan Institute and our partners in the Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) had a delegation of 15 principal investigators participate in the Advanced Technology Applications for Combat Casualty Care (ATACCC) annual meeting. The ATACCC is the Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) premier scientific meeting. The meeting addresses critical advances in trauma medicine and the unique medical needs of the soldier in combat. It focuses on growing and changing operational issues and the technologies available today and in the future that can be used to meet these increasingly complex goals. Many of the DOD's combat casualty care scientists presented their latest research results. The partnership booth is shown at the right.
The Regenerative Medicine Podcasts continue to gain listeners and explore pertinent topics. Remember to tune in and keep abreast of new interviews. The most recent podcasts are:
#53 - Joel Schuman, MD – Dr. Schuman, director of the UPMC Eye Center, discusses his pioneering research in ocular care and introduces the new program on ocular regeneration at the University of Pittsburgh.
#54 – Thomas Tillett – The founding President and CEO of Rheogene dicusses the RheoSwitch ™ Therapeutic System that led to the first human clinical trial of a small molecule induced gene regulation system.
Visit www.regenerativemedicinetoday.com to keep abreast of the new interviews.
| Authors: | Simon MA, Watson J, Baldwin JT, Wagner WR, and Borovetz HS |
| Title: | Current and Future Considerations in the Use of Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices |
| Summary: | Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem in the United States, and its prevalence is likely to increase with the aging U.S. population. Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) utilizing bladder-based blood pumps generating pulsatile flow has been reserved for patients with severe HF failing medical therapy. As MCS technology has advanced to include rotary blood pumps, so has our understanding of the biological and clinical responses to MCS, which in turn has altered the risk/benefit profile of this therapy. This may lead to paradigm shifts in device usage from support of end-stage HF to temporary support for recovery of cardiac function and earlier usage, to, ultimately, prevention of disease progression. This review serves to explore the current state and future opportunities of MCS within our larger understanding of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment options for HF. |
| Source: | Annu Rev Biomed Eng. 2008 Aug 15;10:59-84 |
| PIs: | Bradley Keller, MD |
| Co. Investigator: | William Wagner, PhD |
| Title: | Engineered Early Embryonic Cardiac Tissue |
| Description: | We have developed an Engineered Early Embryonic Cardiac Tissue, termed EEECT, using embryonic cardiac cells isolated during the period of primary morphogenesis in order to investigate the regulation of embryonic CM proliferation and differentiation and to generate tissues with optimal properties for cardiac repair. Our EEECT construct uses a simple cylindrical geometry which is reproducible, scalable, and preserves the unique proliferative and contractile properties of developing myocardium. Using EEECT we can investigate the regulation of CM proliferation and maturation within a functioning in vitro 3D environment. EEECT proliferation and force production increases in response to cyclic mechanical stretch. With prolonged culture EEECT acquires a post-natal myocardial phenotype (reduced proliferation, increased calcium and β-adrenergic sensitivity, and increased force production). Preliminary data show that cylindrical EEECT can be implanted onto recipient injured adult myocardium as part of a cardiac repair/recovery strategy. Implanted EEECT survive, proliferate, and functionally contribute to recipient cardiac functional recovery. Specific Aim 1: Define molecular pathways that regulate the EEECT CM proliferation. We hypothesize that (1) EEECT CM proliferation is regulated by interactions between integrin-linked kinase (ILK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), and Akt; (2) cyclic mechanical strain stimulates cell proliferation via ILK, p38MAPK, and Akt; and (3) Thyroid hormone triggers CM within EEECT to shift from an immature proliferative to a post-natal hypertrophic growth phenotype. Significance. Our experimental strategy translates insights gained from investigating in vivo embryonic myocardium and in vitro Engineered Early Embryonic Cardiac Tissue (EEECT) towards the long term goal of developing a functioning engineered cardiac graft that optimizes post-implantation cell survival, proliferation, and sustainable functional recovery of injured myocardium. |
| Source: | NIH |
| Term: | 07/01/08 – 05/31/12 |
| Amount: | $1, 515,000 |
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