Heart attacks damage heart walls, compromising the pumping function of the heart. Dr. Yamada is investigating the use of patient’s own stem cells as a new therapy to help reestablish and maintain a synchronized pumping motion in the infarcted heart.

Year One Progress Report:

When a baby’s lungs are not adequately developed at birth, severe complications and even death can result. Dr. Ruano brings expertise in a technique that uses a minimally invasive procedure to intervene while the fetus is still in the uterus. He will participate as one investigator in a larger clinical trial to see if this procedure can regenerate the process of lung growth and development before birth.

Year One Progress Report:

Dr. van Berlo’s research aims to help children born with heart disease. He is researching the triggers that can increase cardiac muscle after birth, giving children a better chance for a healthy life.

Final Project Report:

Multiple sclerosis and other diseases attack the myelin, a sheath that insulates the nerves. Dr. Jang is investigating the underlying molecular mechanisms of myelin regeneration in an effort to develop a therapy to help patients.

Some salamanders can regenerate a fully functional spinal cord after injury, but humans and other mammals can’t. Dr. Echeverri’s research has identified key molecular differences between salamanders and mammals. She is working to learn more about these differences and how processes in the salamander could be translated to help mammals regenerate spinal tissue.

Year One Progress Report:

Some common birth defects affect the muscles of both a child’s face and heart. Dr. Chan is working on a pluripotent stem cell model that produces these muscles to better understand what types of cells could some day help treat these patients.

Year One Progress Report: