Anthony Atala – VJRegenMed

Placental-derived stem cells for neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:50:05 +0000

Anthony Atala, MD, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, discusses the potential use of human placental-derived stem cells (hPSCs) for the treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature newborns. NEC is an intestinal disease with a high mortality rate in neonates and there are currently limited therapeutic options. hPSCs have the capacity to differentiate into the three germ layers and can be expanded in large quantities, however, they do not form teratomas, unlike human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In a recent study, the injection of hPSCs into an experimental animal models of necrotizing enterocolitis resulted in reversal of the disease. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

Building the bioengineered uterus

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:50:05 +0000

Anthony Atala, MD, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, discusses ongoing research toward the development of bioengineered uteri in order to replace lost or damaged uteri caused by disease, injury or birth defects. He describes tissue engineering approaches being investigated that involve seeding autologous cells onto a three-dimensional scaffold and expanding the cells in an incubator-like device and reimplanting the engineered uterine tissue. This autologous approach aims to reduce immune rejection upon implantation. Prof. Atala describes a recent study in which autologous cell-seeded engineered uteri were implanted into a rabbit model and were able to successfully support normal pregnancies, fetal development and delivery of an infant. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

The Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Innovation Consortium

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:50:04 +0000

Anthony Atala, MD, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, discusses the challenges surrounding the manufacturing of cell-based therapies. He describes the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Innovation Consortium (RegMIC), which is a major initiative that aims to help to advance manufacturing across the whole industry to ensure therapies can be delivered to patients more quickly and at a lower cost. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

Current tissue engineering strategies for solid organ replacement

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 11:48:33 +0000

Anthony Atala, MD, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, provides an overview of the current landscape for tissue engineering strategies for solid organ replacement and highlights some exciting avenues of research such as in the treatment of kidney disease and replacement of skin. Prof. Atala points out that whilst the vascularization of flat structures such as skin and tubular such as blood vessels is possible, a key remaining challenge that need to be addressed is the vascularization of complex whole organs. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).