bloodstream. Dr. Prockop believes they
can then attach themselves to unhealthy
tissue and repair the damage, or at least
stop the spread of disease.
“We have proven in mice that taking
stem cells from the marrow, multiplying
them in the laboratory and then replacing
them in the donor can speed up the
process of tissue repair,” says Dr. Prockop.
The exciting thing about adult stem
cells is that they may help the person from
whom they’re extracted, or help other
people. Dr. Prockop has garnered millions
of dollars in NIH funding for the
preparation and distribution of adult stem
cells to 250 investigators around the world
for further study.
“The cells are smarter than we are,” he
says. “We think they’ll do one thing
and they do something else. Like any
basic research, adult stem cell research
is challenging and exciting. Looking
forward, we anticipate that patients will
be treated using their own cells, or we
may discover something similar to the
‘universal donor’ in type-O blood donors,
where one stem cell ‘solution’ fits all.”
First tackling an
American epidemic
One of Dr. Prockop’s colleagues at Tulane,
world-renowned endocrinologist Vivian
Fonseca, MD, MPH, recently was
appointed chief of the Division of
Endocrinology at Scott & White
Healthcare and professor of medicine,
Texas A&M Health Science Center
College of Medicine. Dr. Fonseca is a
board member of the American Diabetes
Association and editor of its clinical
journal. His vast experience with NIHfunded clinical trials for new diabetes
treatments has earned him professional
acclaim. He will bring his expertise to the
first priority at the IRM—tackling the
chronic, preventable disease that has
already become an epidemic in the United
States: type 2 diabetes.
“I’m excited about
the possibilities this
research enterprise
will bring to Central
Texans and patients
everywhere.”
— Dr. Fonseca
More than 20 million Americans have
type 2 diabetes, the leading cause of
kidney failure, blindness and amputations.
The success of new treatments using
stem cells could make an extraordinary
difference for the millions of people who
have this condition and their families.
“I’m excited about the possibilities this
research enterprise will bring to Central
Texans and patients everywhere,” says Dr.
Fonseca. “In diabetes, for example, there is
much interest in growing new pancreas
cells in diabetes research to increase insulin
the body needs. Our hypothesis is that the
molecular abnormalities associated with
type 2 diabetes are more amenable to
being changed,” says Dr. Fonseca. “Our
work is likely to reduce the inflammatory
component of the disease, which may
also impact the complications of diabetes
such as heart and kidney disease.”
The future of regenerative
medicine
“This is a new chapter in both biology and
medicine and holds the potential to treat a
long list of diseases by repairing almost
any body tissue,” says Dr. Prockop. “Take
stroke, for example,” he says. “We can
possibly prevent cell death if stem cells are
injected early enough after a patient
experiences a stroke.”
Dr. Prockop also plans to collaborate
with cardiologists, orthopedists, neurologists
and other specialists to instigate rapid
tissue regeneration. The rewards reaped
may alter the future, and the way medicine
treats disease forever. ■
> See sidebar on page 12
Spring 09 THE CATALYST
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