Jefferson to form Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Thomas
Jefferson University is expanding and empowering its stem cell research
program with a new academic department at Jefferson Medical College:
Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.
The
Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson is already home to the Stem Cell
Biology and Regenerative Medicine Research Center, which is led by
Michael P. Lisanti, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Cancer Biology. Dr.
Lisanti will be the chairman of the new department, and will hold a
joint appointment as Professor of Cancer Biology and Medical Oncology.
“Our
goal as a new department is to energize and empower the existing stem
cell research community at Jefferson and to expand it by recruiting new
faculty members,” Dr. Lisanti said. “We plan to collaborate and form
scientific relationships with many departments across Jefferson. This
department will be a pathway towards new grants and educational
opportunities.”
According
to Dr. Lisanti, the department will have two main focuses. The first is
the use of stem cells as therapy for a variety of diseases, such as
atherosclerosis, diabetes and neurogenerative disorders, among others.
The second focus is on cancer stem cells, identifying cancer stem cell
markers and cancer stem cell treatment targets.
“We
want to identify and develop new biomarkers to perform patient
stratification so that we can do early detection and potentially find
out who might benefit from chemotherapy and/or radiation,” Dr. Lisanti
explained.
“Our
Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine department will serve as a
catalyst in clinical translational science initiatives across a wide
array of disciplines at Jefferson,” said Mark Tykocinski, M.D., dean of
Jefferson Medical College. “This department will also serve as a hub
for our collaborations with other stem cell research partners, both
nationally and internationally.”
Faculty
members for the department include Gloria Bonuccelli, Ph.D.; Franco
Capozza, Ph.D.; Remedios Castello-Cros, Ph.D.; Philippe G. Frank,
Ph.D.; Jean-Francois Jasmin, Ph.D.; Isabelle Mercier, Ph.D.; Marco
Prisco, Ph.D.; and Chenguang Wang, Ph.D. All are currently members of
the Cancer Biology department.
Media Only Contact:
Emily Shafer
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Phone: (215) 955-6300
Published: 10/9/2009