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Regenerative medicine uses clinical procedures to repair or replace damaged or diseased tissues and organs, versus some traditional therapies that just treat symptoms.
To realize the vast potential of tissue engineering and other techniques aimed at repairing damaged or diseased tissues and organs, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC established the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The McGowan Institute serves as a single base of operations for the University’s leading scientists and clinical faculty working to develop tissue engineering, cellular therapies, and artificial and biohybrid organ devices.
The McGowan Institute is the most ambitious regenerative program in the nation, coupling biology, clinical science, and engineering. Success in our mission will impact patients’ lives, bring economic benefit, serve to train the next generation of researchers, and advance the expertise of our faculty in the basic sciences, engineering, and clinical sciences. Our efforts proudly build upon the pioneering achievements of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute.
While there are certain select therapies based on regenerative medicine principles now in clinical use, much work lies ahead to realize the potential of this growing field. Advances in the underlying science, engineering strategies to harness this science, and successful commercial activities are all required to bring new therapies to patients.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Bridgeside Point II
450 Technology Drive
Suite 300
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Read information on campus shuttles.
Phone: 412-624-5500
Fax: 412-624-5363
Email: McGowan@pitt.edu
The McGowan Institute sponsors a podcast series on regenerative medicine. Listen to some of the world's leading regenerative medicine researchers and physicians talk about their work.
Listen to the most recent podcasts.
Inaugural Address of Professor Chandan K. Sen
Over 25 years ago when McGowan was seeded, Regenerative Medicine was a vision and a promise of the future. It is not the same today. Thanks to the 21st Century Cures Act signed into law in 2016, we now have the Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapeutics (RMAT) designation by the FDA. Reportedly, 91 therapies are approved via the FDA’s RMAT designation. Hundreds are in the pipeline. Regenerative medicine solutions will increasingly occupy a larger fraction of the healthcare market. It is already in the billions of dollars at present and professional market reports consistently predict a sharp rise with compound annual growth rate exceeding 20% per year. PittMcGowan must play an active role in shaping that new future of healthcare. For any small company based in our commonwealth seeking RMAT designation of their product, I announce a seed funding mechanism to collaborate with our faculty.
The Story Behind Restoring Sight
At 25 years old, José-Alain Sahel, MD was a medical resident at the University of Strasbourg in France tasked with the job of informing parents when their children were found to have permanent vision loss. Dr. Sahel, now Distinguished Professor of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, director of the UPMC Eye Center, and the Eye and Ear Foundation Endowed Chair of Ophthalmology, as well as a McGowan affiliated faculty member, spoke with the Richard King Mellon Foundation about his experiences. “I tried to be nice,” he said, “but you cannot be nice when you say that. People hate you. They just hate you. It had a real impact on me.” At times, parents would yell, patients would cry, and Dr. Sahel would feel frustrated he was unable to help them.
McGowan Researchers Examine Wound Healing in Diabetics
McGowan faculty Mohamed S. El Masry, PhD; Subhadip Ghatak, PhD; and Sashwati Roy, PhD, alongside McGowan Associate Researcher Anu Sharma, PhD; Research Assistant Piya Das Ghatak; and Director of the McGowan Institute Chandan K. Sen, PhD, recently authored a study published in Nano Today. The study, titled “Nanoscopic and functional characterization of keratinocyte-originating exosomes in the wound fluid of non-diabetic and diabetic chronic wound patients,” provides insight into why wounds often heal poorly in patients with diabetes.
The Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh has announced the Biomechanics in Regenerative Medicine (BiRM) and the Cardiovascular Bioengineering Training Program (CBTP) both received National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 grant renewals for an additional five years. Both programs prepare predoctoral students for careers in health-related research.
