McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine was established by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to realize the vast potential of tissue engineering and other techniques aimed at repairing damaged or diseased tissues and organs.
Under the direction of Alan J. Russell, Ph.D., who previously was the Nikolas DeCecco Professor and Chairman of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering, the Institute serves as a single base of operations for the university’s leading scientists and clinical faculty working to develop tissue engineering, cellular therapies, biosurgery and artificial and biohybrid organ devices. The Institute’s 240 faculty members work solely or in part on regenerative medicine, translating into an annual expenditure in excess of $70 million.
As a pioneer in regenerative medicine, the Institute develops innovative clinical protocols and pursues rapid commercialization of its regenerative medicine technologies. Rather than treating only symptoms, regenerative medicine uses clinical procedures to repair or replace damaged or diseased tissue and organs. It is an emerging field that approaches the repair or replacement of tissues and organs by incorporating the use of cells, genes or other biological building blocks along with bioengineered materials and technologies. Clinical trials of many of these techniques are underway, including cell therapies for angina, cystic fibrosis, and urinary incontinence; extracellular matrix-driven regeneration of fingertips, esophageal and soft tissue; and devices to treat respiratory failure and burns.
The McGowan Institute is named after the late William G. McGowan, who as chief executive officer at MCI Communications underwent a successful heart transplant at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in 1987.