McGowan Institute?
February 2009 | VOL.8, NO. 2 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu
Emerging Technology--Miniaturized Heart Pumps for Children
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Peter Wearden, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, is part of a team of medical and scientific professionals who are using advanced and innovative technologies to offer life-saving procedures for children in need of cardiac support. In adults, when supplemental cardiac support is needed as an interim measure, surgeons may elect to implant an artificial heart pump; however, the pumps that work for adults are not suitable for infants and children. Dr. Wearden and his colleagues Harvey Borovetz, PhD, and James Antaki, PhD have has taken a leadership role in an on-going research study to develop options for children.
In terms of current clinical activities, the Berlin Heart, which is undergoing a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluation trial at Children’s Hospital and 14 other hospitals nationwide, is currently the only heart-assist device available for babies and children. The Berlin Heart is an experimental, child-size artificial heart pump—or ventricular assist device (VAD)—that keeps children with life-threatening heart failure alive while awaiting a heart transplant. The device has also been used effectively as a bridge to recovery. There are 240 children waiting for heart transplants in the United States today, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. If current trends continue, more than a fifth of them will die before they get a transplant. Dr. Wearden has successfully used the Berlin Heart on a “compasionate use basis” to treat current pediatric cases.
To advance the state of the art, Drs. Wearden, Borovetz and Antaki are leading an on-going research study to develop a miniaturized heart pump for children—the implantable pediatric VAD known as PediaFlow, which is designed for children from birth to 2 years. The heart pump, the size of a AA battery, will use a magnetically levitated impeller: technology that increases the life span of the pump, reduces the electrical power and cooling requirements, and drastically reduces blood damage and clotting. PediaFlow is designed to go inside a child’s body to minimize the risks of infection from tubes piercing the skin. It is now in a preclinical trial, and the availability for human trials is subject to the results of the current studies.
The availability of VADs for use in infants and young children is extremely limited, with no device specifically approved for use in this age group in the United States. Getting approval to use a Berlin Heart can be a complicated process, especially when a young child’s survival is dependent on it. The research and development challenge is to develop a pediatric VAD for use here in the United States. It is for this reason that success of the PediaFlow is crucial.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Savio L-Y. Woo, PhD, DSc (pictured third from the left), University of Pittsburgh Professor, received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Engineering from the University Council of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In the conferment ceremony, President Chung-Kwong Poon said this honor recognizes the contributions Professor Woo has made to the advancement of musculoskeletal biomechanics and engineering sciences, especially in the area of novel orthopaedic sports medicine and rehabilitation treatments. Having grown up in Hong Kong, Professor Woo is particularly pleased to receive such a high honor from his hometown.
Dr. Woo is the Founder and Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center (MSRC) at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering. He is a pioneer in bioengineering and is renowned for his almost 40 years of translational research in knee ligament healing and repair. More recently, his work focuses on functional tissue engineering for ligament and tendon regeneration from the molecular to cellular to tissue and organ levels as well as the use of robotic technology to examine the joint function.
Dr. Woo has been inducted into the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Academia Sinica, only one of four persons who have gained all three of these honors. In 1998, Dr. Woo received the first Olympic gold medal from the International Olympic Committee in Nagano, Japan. In 1999, Dr. Woo also earned an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the Trustees of the California State University System.
A research team - led by McGowan Institute faculty member Johnny Huard, PhD - has effectively repaired damaged heart muscle in mice by using novel stem cells that are derived from human skeletal muscle tissue. The team transplanted the purified stem cells into the hearts of mice that had hearts injured in ways similar to people who had suffered a heart attack. The transplanted myoendothelial cells not only repaired the damaged muscle but also stimulated new growth of blood vessels in the heart and reduced scar tissue. As a result, the functional ability of the heart greatly improved.
“This study confirms our belief that this novel population of stem cells discovered in our laboratory holds tremendous promise for the future of regenerative medicine,” said Dr. Huard. “Specifically, myoendothelial cells show potential as a therapy for people who have suffered a myocardial infarction. The important benefit of our approach is that as a therapy, it could be an autologous transplant.”
Dr. Huard and his team at the Stem Cell Research Center are researching and developing therapeutic uses for this novel population of stem cells.
Breast reconstruction is achieved through several plastic surgery techniques that attempt to restore a breast to near normal shape, appearance, and size following mastectomy. Today, plastic surgeons may use flap techniques to reposition a woman’s own muscle, fat, and skin to create or cover the breast mound. Or, they may provide breast reconstruction with tissue expansion which allows an easier recovery than flap procedures. Tissue expansion stretches healthy skin to provide coverage for a breast implant, however it requires many office visits over 4-6 months after placement of the expander to slowly fill the device through an internal valve to expand the skin. A breast implant—saline or silicone—can also be an addition or alternative to flap techniques.
In Japan, Europe, and Israel surgeons are harvesting fat and stem cells from hips and thighs to sculpt breasts without the leaks, slippage, and short shelf life that often accompany saline and silicone implants. The procedure is controversial among researchers in the United States (it's not available here...yet—human studies could begin in the next 3 to 5 years). "These are adult stem cells, not embryonic cells, so the concern isn't an ethical one about an embryonic source," says McGowan Institute faculty member J. Peter Rubin, MD, co-founder and chairman of the International Federation of Adipose Therapeutics and Science. "Stem cells from fat tissue can turn into blood vessels and make new fat cells, so they could create long-lasting tissue for breast augmentation and reconstruction. But there are safety issues."
One safety issue is cancer. "We don't know yet whether these cells have the potential to go awry and become tumor cells themselves or whether they could influence cancer cells left behind in breast cancer patients undergoing reconstruction," Dr. Rubin says. "We also don't know whether injecting fat into the breast could obscure small cancers normally detected by mammograms."
To find answers to this and other safety issues, research studies are being performed at the Adipose Stem Cell Center, Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. There, scientists led by co-directors Dr. Rubin and Kacey Marra, PhD, are isolating, characterizing, and testing adult stem cells 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.
The Center partners physician-researchers with investigators in the fields of tissue engineering, cell therapy, adipose biology, stem cell physiology, and growth and development. Together they are conducting scientific studies on a post-cancer breast reconstruction technique that uses a woman’s own stem cells, isolated from a sample of her fat, to form a breast with the look and feel of natural tissue. The expertise and efforts of the Center’s team of medical and scientific professionals continue to move forward to translate their findings into new medical treatments.
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The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s Center for Craniofacial Regeneration was established to develop tissue engineering-based treatments for wounds and defects of the face and skull that restore function as well as appearance. Charles Sfeir, DDS, PhD (top), director of the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration, and his multidisciplinary team of scientists and research physicians are dedicated to the development of techniques that result in a natural-looking, fully functioning face that is compatible with the patient’s self image.
Currently at the Center, dentists, engineers, and stem cell specialists are working to grow a human tooth from scratch, a goal that one day could eliminate the demand for dentures and dental implants. "The potential is huge," said Dr. Sfeir. "I don't want to come across that we could regrow someone's missing teeth now, but there has been a lot of progress in the last few years."
Along with Dr. Sfeir, Elia Beniash, PhD (bottom), associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, anticipates great strides in the area of tooth regeneration. They and other Center researchers are drawing on recent laboratory success in growing bone. Along with extracellular matrix scaffolds fortified with proteins that encourage bone to grow, the scientists discovered that bone replaced the scaffold material in a rabbit animal study. Testing of the strength of the new bone is ongoing as well as whether or not it will fill with bone marrow.
The members of the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration continue to address these and other challenges by exploring many approaches to the regeneration of bone and tissue. In addition to using extracellular matrix scaffolds, the researchers are developing novel tools that will contribute to the restoration of facial structure and function. Some of these include mineralized structures, protein-based polymer gels, non-viral gene delivery based on the calcium phosphate system, and cell-surface interaction.
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McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Jay K. Kolls, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Allergy and Immunology at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, and researchers have identified cells that may play a key role in some forms of steroid-resistant asthma, a complication of the condition that makes treatment even more challenging. The identification of a lineage of cells known as T Helper Type 17 (Th17) may help scientists in the development of new treatments that lead to better control of asthma, according to Dr. Kolls.
More than 22 million Americans (including 9 million children) are diagnosed with asthma, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As many as 50 percent of them have asthma that can be resistant to steroids, which are intended to reduce lung inflammation during an asthma attack, Dr. Kolls said.
“Asthma is a challenging condition to treat. For many patients, if they take preventive medications regularly, the condition can be controlled and they can lead relatively normal lives,” Dr. Kolls said. “Inhaled steroids are an important treatment for patients to prevent asthma attacks. Unfortunately, some patients have attacks despite the use of inhaled steroids, meaning they don’t respond to steroids or they need such high doses that side effects are experienced.”
In a study published in the Journal of Immunology, Dr. Kolls and colleagues found that Th17 cells mediated steroid-resistant airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness in animal models of asthma. Th17 cells are part of the immune system and are found where the body comes in contact with the external environment, such as the lungs and the lining of the gastrointestinal tract.
“Identifying Th17 cells as a potential mechanism by which steroid-resistant asthma gives us a potential new target for the development of drugs that focus on these cells and lead to better overall control of asthma,” said Dr. Kolls, the Niels K. Jerne Professor of Pediatrics and Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Asthma is characterized by repeated wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. Every year, more than half of all Americans diagnosed with asthma suffer at least one acute attack, according to the CDC. These flare-ups lead to approximately 2 million emergency room visits, 10 million outpatient visits, and 100 million days of restricted activity every year.
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McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Joon Sup Lee, MD, clinical director of the UPMC Cardiovascular Institute and associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, has been named a co-investigator of the Atlantic Cardiovascular Patient Outcomes Research Team (C-PORT) Clinical Trial. C-PORT is a group of cardiovascular specialists including physicians and nurses, clinical trial specialists, healthcare economists, quality-of-life researchers, hospital administrators, and government healthcare regulators who have designed and implemented a clinical trial comparing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with thrombolytic therapy for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who present to community hospitals. UPMC McKeesport has been designated a site for this clinical trial to determine if there are differences in the outcome of PCI, also known as angioplasty, when performed in hospitals that do not offer cardiac surgery versus hospitals with heart surgery capabilities.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has granted UPMC McKeesport a waiver to perform elective PCI based on the hospital’s participation in the Atlantic C-PORT. The study is being conducted in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the Economics and Quality of Life Coordinating Center at Duke University. Potential candidates for the study are patients requiring a diagnostic cardiac catheterization because of suspected blockages in the coronary arteries that can be treated with PCI.
“C-PORT allows smaller, high-quality community hospitals such as UPMC McKeesport to provide advanced catheter-based therapies, including coronary angioplasty and stenting, to its patients locally,” said Dr. Lee. “The focus of this study is to help determine if PCI success and complication rates are the same at hospitals with and without cardiac surgery capabilities. If the trial determines that these rates are the same for both types of facilities, it could greatly impact the future of cardiac care at smaller community hospitals.”
Study participants will be randomly assigned to receive PCI treatment at UPMC McKeesport or be transferred to UPMC Mercy or UPMC Shadyside―hospitals with heart surgery capabilities―for the procedure. After the PCI, participants will proceed with the follow-up care that their doctors would normally provide, regardless of where their procedures were performed.
Nationally, more than 18,300 participants will be recruited.
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McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Steven Belle, PhD, received a 7-year $11 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to coordinate the Hepatitis B Clinical Research Network – a consortium of 15 clinical and research centers in the U.S. and Canada that will conduct translational research on hepatitis B.
The network will include a multi-site treatment trial, create and maintain a large database of study results, and store tissue and serum samples to facilitate clinical and basic research.
Hepatitis B is an infection that affects the liver. About 1.5 million Americans and 350 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis B infection, which can lead to more serious diseases such as cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer.
“Medical advances have led to many treatments for chronic hepatitis B infection and most patients respond to them,” said Dr. Belle, principal investigator of the data coordinating center and professor of epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. “However, these treatments do not cure the infection, but contain it by making it more difficult for the virus to reproduce.”
Many patients need to stay on therapy for a long time, he added. And when treatment is prolonged, the virus can become resistant, making further treatment ineffective.
“We don’t know why treatment works better for some patients than others, and we cannot accurately predict who may go on to develop liver abnormalities,” said Dr. Belle. “But with the interdisciplinary expertise within the network, we hope to learn more about the immune changes that occur with hepatitis B infection and make inroads to finding a lasting cure.”
A team of Pittsburgh scientists which included McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty members Charleen T. Chu, MD, PhD (top), Patrick M. Kochanek, MD (center), and Simon C. Watkins, PhD (bottom), recently reported that neurons from female rats and mice are better able to survive starvation than neurons from the males because they consume fat rather than protein. These study results could have implications for the nourishment of critically ill patients.
The group of researchers cultured sets of neurons from male and female rats and mice, and deprived them of nutrients for 72 hours to gauge the potential impact of starvation on the brain. In 24 hours there was a marked difference in neuron behavior. The neurons from the males began dying off due to an initiated self-eating process called autophagy. However the females mobilized fatty acids and made lipid droplets to use as a fuel source, thus enabling them to survive.
The findings are the first indication that critical nutritional stress can kill neurons. Known to happen in other tissues during periods of starvation, possibly as a last-ditch survival effort, the process of autophagy leads to cell destruction and the breakdown of complex proteins, generating amino acids and other biological building blocks that could nourish remaining cells.
Sex differences in response to famine have been apparent for nearly a century, with females the heartier of the sexes. Part of the explanation for this observation could be that during nutritional deprivation, male cells tend to lean on energy primarily from protein sources, while female ones lean on fat. The current research suggests that during times of critical nutritional stress, males might be better off if they used fat-derived fuel as females do.
Autophagy-induced cell death in the brain could result in permanent damage. Other research has revealed brain atrophy, or shrinkage, on scans of brain-injured and other critically ill patients, who likely were stressed and possibly insufficiently nourished during long hospitalizations. Since undernourishment of the brain could lead to worse neurological outcomes, it may be important to feed the genders differently to prevent brain cell death.
In future work, the team hopes to develop a bedside test to determine if the autophagy process is occurring in the brains of critically ill patients.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliate member Ellen Gawalt, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, is the recipient of a $200,198 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases, the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research, and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. Dr. Gawalt’s project is titled “Prevention of Biofilm Growth on Orthopedic Implant Materials through Chemical Surface Modification” and focuses on controlling the interface between implants constructed of stainless steel 316L, Ti-6Al-4V (titanium alloy), and Co-Cr-Mo (cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy) in order to retard biofilm formation and thus prevent costly infections.
Through the grant she and her team will develop robust organic surface chemistry that will act as a flexible platform for controlling the interfacial region between implants and tissues. The coatings will be developed from monolayer and surface-initiated polymer films. The organic coatings developed will be tested in conjunction with Dr. Luanne Hall-Stoodley at Allegheny General Hospital. The coatings will be tested for and modified to mitigate non-specific bacteria adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation on alloy implant surfaces.
Congratulations, Dr. Gawalt!
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Looking forward to doing much more scientific research and attending far fewer meetings, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Ronald Herberman, MD, steps down as Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). During his tenure, UPCI began as an inspiration which today is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in western Pennsylvania. Since its start and under Dr. Herberman’s leadership, UPCI has been committed to improving the understanding of how cancer develops; to characterizing new lifesaving approaches for cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment; and to educating future generations of scientists and clinicians.
Now as the senior adviser to the new UPCI director, Dr. Herberman will spend more time in the laboratory focused on his research interests that include cancer immunology, biological therapeutics, biomarkers, and dissemination of cancer research results. He currently is co-principal investigator of a grant entitled “Integrating NK and DC into Cancer Therapy.” In addition to his research efforts, Dr. Herbman is the associate vice chancellor for cancer research within the School of Medicine, Department of Health Sciences. In this capacity, he has the responsibility for enhancing and facilitating the basic and clinical research activities of the six schools of the health sciences and of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Other appointments include chief of the Division of Hematology/ Oncology and the Hillman Professor of Oncology. He is also a professor of Medicine and Pathology.
Today, UPCI is ranked 10th in National Cancer Institute funding, including three competitive Specialized Program of Research Excellence grants focusing on head and neck, lung, and skin cancers. The UPCI and UPMC Cancer Centers network represents more than 2,100 experts in surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, otolaryngology, neuro-oncology, palliative care, behavioral medicine, and gynecologic oncology; scientists; administrative staff; and other health care professionals working closely together to help people with cancer. Through its hub-and-satellite network of more than 45 community-based locations in western Pennsylvania and two centers in Ireland, cutting-edge treatments and technologies, including more than 150 clinical trials, are available closer to home.
Dr. Ronald Herberman arrived in Pittsburgh in 1985 to a small office in Eye & Ear Hospital in Oakland, a staff of two, and Senior Vice Chancellor Dr. Thomas Detre's vision of building a cancer institute. Through his guidance and the culmination of 24 years of dedication and service, UPCI is presently internationally recognized for its leadership in the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Thank you, Dr. Herberman.
A team of scientists, including McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty members Cameron Riviere, PhD, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, University of Pittsburgh, and systems scientist for both the Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems, and Marco Zenati, MD, Director of the Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Program and Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, have created a robotic device that can be inserted onto a heart using minimally invasive surgery to deliver medical treatment. Resembling a robotic caterpillar, the device developed by Dr. Riviere and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University can crawl across the surface of a beating heart, delivering drugs or attaching medical devices. The 20-millimeter-long robot -- called HeartLander -- has two suckers for feet, each pierced with 20 holes connected to a vacuum line, which holds it onto the outside of the heart. By moving its body segments it can crawl across the heart at up to 7 inches per minute. Surgeons keep track of the device using X-ray video or a magnetic tracker, controlling the movements via a joystick.
Presently, during open-heart surgery a surgeon must cut through the sternum and then pull back the ribcage to reach the heart. Another option is an endoscopic technique in which the surgeon operates through small incisions in the chest while the heart is still beating. In 2001 Dr. Riviere thought robotics could make heart surgery less traumatic. He approached Dr. Zenati who was well aware of the uses and limitations of surgical robots: Dr. Zenati performed the first robot-assisted, beating-heart coronary bypass surgery in the United Sates.
The practical applications for HeartLander have surgeons excited. A recent test demonstrated that HeartLander is capable of placing pacemaker electrodes anywhere on the epicardium—a far greater range than existing techniques allow. The robot could be outfitted with a probe to allow surgeons to treat arrhythmia by ablating damaged or malfunctioning cardiac tissue. Multiple tests, including HeartLander's journey to the underside of the heart, have shown HeartLander to be effective in delivering myocardial injections using its on-board needle. Dr. Riviere predicts it could deliver therapy like stem cell treatments to regenerate damaged heart muscle. Also, because the minimally-invasive HeartLander surgeries don't require lung deflation, they could be performed under local, rather than general, anesthesia. The phrase Dr. Zenati explains as potential "outpatient heart surgery."
With all that has been accomplished, there’s more testing to be done. Dr. Riviere estimates it will be another 3 to 5 years before HeartLander is set to land on a human heart.
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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:
#64 – Steven Little, PhD – Dr. Little introduces us to his pioneering studies in targeted drug delivery. His focus is on the delivery of genetic vaccines with special emphasis on non-viral, particulate formulations. His current interests include controlled delivery for tissue engineering, immunotherapeutics, and biomimetic materials. He also shares his vision on the rate at which these emerging technologies will be available for clinical use.
#65 – David Whitcomb, MD, PhD – Dr. David Whitcomb is Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology, and Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, he is the Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, as well as the founder and Director of the Center for Genomic Sciences. Dr. Whitcomb discusses the research of his Division that is pioneering alternative diagnosis and treatment for disorders of the pancreas, liver and the intestine.
Visit www.regenerativemedicinetoday.com to keep abreast of the new interviews.
| Authors: | El-Kurdi MS, Hong Y, Stankus JJ, Soletti L, Wagner WR, Vorp DA. |
| Title: | Transient elastic support for vein grafts using a constricting microfibrillar polymer wrap. |
| Summary: | Arterial vein grafts (AVGs) often fail due to intimal hyperplasia, thrombosis, or accelerated atherosclerosis. Various approaches have been proposed to address AVG failure, including delivery of temporary mechanical support, many of which could be facilitated by perivascular placement of a biodegradable polymer wrap. The purpose of this work was to demonstrate that a polymer wrap can be applied to vein segments without compromising viability/function, and to demonstrate one potential application, i.e., gradually imposing the mid-wall circumferential wall stress (CWS) in wrapped veins exposed to arterial levels of pressure. Poly(ester urethane)urea, collagen, and elastin were combined in solution, and then electrospun onto freshly-excised porcine internal jugular vein segments. Tissue viability was assessed via Live/Dead staining for necrosis, and vasomotor challenge with epinephrine and sodium nitroprusside for functionality. Wrapped vein segments were also perfused for 24h within an ex vivo vascular perfusion system under arterial conditions (pressure = 120/80 mmHg; flow = 100 mL/min), and CWS was calculated every hour. Our results showed that the electrospinning process had no deleterious effects on tissue viability, and that the mid-wall CWS vs. time profile could be dictated through the composition and degradation of the electrospun wrap. This may have important clinical applications by enabling the engineering of an improved AVG. |
| Source: | Biomaterials. 2008 Aug;29(22):3213-20. Epub 2008 May 2. |
PI |
Steven F. Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD |
Title |
Regenerative Medicine Approach to the Treatment of Abdominal Compartment Syndrome in a Dog Model |
Description |
This study involves a combination of preclinical animal work and the treatment of clinical patients at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas at the Institute for Surgical Research. The work is based upon the bioinductive properties of an extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold derived from porcine urinary bladder. This biologic scaffold contains a bimodal surface architecture which is supportive of epithelial cell growth on one surface and integration into an exposed wound on the opposite surface. The preclinical animal studies show the ability of the material to integrate into the full thickness wound bed. Seven patients have been treated and results show that the preclinical studies were predictive of the excellent biointegration that occurred in these patients. Complete epithelialization with no contracture was observed when the material was used to treat the donor sites of patients requiring split thickness skin grafts. This pilot safety study sets the stage for subsequent clinical applications and primary full thickness wounds in patients. |
Source |
PTEI (STRaC) |
Term |
9/1/08 – 11/30/08 |
| Amount: | $95,000 add-on |
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