> A New Era continued
Healthcare. “We’re breaking new ground
in medicine and are pleased the joint
collaboration with Texas A&M and Scott
& White will bring a much-needed focus
on uncovering how the body’s own stem
cells can help heal people,” he says. “This
is a credential that helps place Scott &
White on the world stage of leadership
when it comes to advancing the treatment
of disease.”
Unparalleled expertise
leads the institute
The Institute for Regenerative Medicine is
led by internationally renowned physician
and researcher Darwin J. Prockop, MD,
PhD, the Stearman Chair in Genomic
Medicine at Scott & White; professor of
molecular and cellular medicine at Texas
A&M Health Science Center College of
Medicine; and a member of the esteemed
Institute of Medicine (IOM) in Washington,
DC. The IOM is a non-profit organization
that works to improve the nation’s health
by serving as health and science advisor to
thought leaders and policymakers in the
United States.
“I was drawn to Texas A&M and Scott
& White because of the collegial
environment, the impressive resources and
the ability to potentially help thousands of
patients,” says Dr. Prockop, a cellular and
molecular biologist. “I know we can make
a dramatic difference in the lives of many,
and the team I’m assembling is top flight.”
Dr. Prockup was recruited from Tulane
10
THE CATALYST Spring 09
“We can possibly
prevent cell death
if stem cells are
injected early
enough after a
patient experiences
a stroke.”
— Dr. Prockop
University in New Orleans, where he was
director of gene therapy and built a stellar
career in cellular and molecular biology.
He and his peers were among the first to
publish findings about the value of adult
stem cells and their ability to repair body
tissue to restore health or slow down the
progression of disease. (NOTE: Unlike the
controversial debate over the use of
embryonic stem cells, no such discord exists
about the use of adult stem cells.)
Dr. Prockop’s goals include having a
better understanding of how adult
stem cells can repair damaged tissue to
inform effective treatment methods for
patients. He also plans to conduct clinical
trials in patients at Scott & White
beginning with diabetes, and eventually
including knee injuries and arthritis, heart
disease, stroke, kidney diseases and some
types of cancer. Dr. Prockop ultimately
plans to develop new biotechnology
industries in Temple, TX.
Adult stem cells at work
Science has long recognized that the body
has an amazing capacity to heal itself. In
fact, stem cells already are hard at work in
our bodies repairing damaged tissue when
we get cuts and bruises. The idea that the
body’s own stem cells could repair
damaged tissue from disease or slow
disease progression requires a much larger
supply of stem cells to help a person. By
extracting bone marrow from a person’s
hip, under local anesthesia, stem cells from
the marrow can be multiplied in a
laboratory and then injected back into the