As part of a collaborative effort, Dr. Anthony Atala of Wake Forest University, a pediatric urological surgeon, has associated with the McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine as an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Atala’s primary appointment is at Wake Forest University where he is the director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a professor of Surgery, and chief in the Urology Department. Dr. Atala is an internationally recognized expert in tissue engineering and also holds adjunct positions at Virginia Tech and the University of Miami.
Dr. Atala’s work focuses on growing new human tissues and organs to repair those that are diseased. His ground-breaking research has made advances in the effort to treat and ultimately cure damaged or diseased organs. Using cells from the patient’s own body, he has created urethra-tubes through which urine is excreted from the body. These tubes have then been implanted into patients whose own urethras were diseased or defective. Also using cells from the patient’s own body, he has created lab grown prototype blood vessels, bladders, wombs, muscle, and cartilage.
In the past, Dr. Atala has received the US Congress funded Christopher Columbus foundation Award, bestowed on a living American who is currently working on a discovery that would significantly affect society, and the Gold Cystoscope Award for contributions to his field. Dr. Atala’s research has produced at least five spin-off companies and more than 170 patents. He has also written extensively for peer-reviewed journals and various other publications.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Anthony J. Atala, M.D.
Website: Wake
Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine