New stem cell research by University of Wisconsin scientists may lead to new therapies and possible cures for numerous genetic heart diseases. The UW research team was led by Craig January and Tim Kamp, professors of medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. These researchers are the first to use stem cells to study the genetic mechanisms in heart disease.
The research successfully led to a new technique for making heart cells out of adult skin cells. This new technique uses iPSC (induced-pluripotent stem cell) technology to grow functioning heart cells from stem cells extracted from a patient's skin.
The goal of this UW stem cell research program is to create a stem cell model that will allow for more research into new treatments for genetically based and inherited heart diseases.
The UW researchers who participated in this project are very excited about stem cell therapy's potential for successfully treating genetic heart diseases. professor January commented on the potential of this research saying, "By using patient-derived cardiomyocytes, or heart cells, to isolate a disease process outside of the body, we are able to gain information about how that gene affects the heart, and how it may respond to treatments and therapies, without having to greatly impact the affected patient."
If you are a life science researcher in the Madison area interested in networking with key suppliers and discussing solutions to research challenges, plan on attending Biotechnology Calendar Inc.'s, University of Wisconsin BioResearch Product Faire Event on September 8, 2011. Suppliers of laboratory research equipment are invited to exhibit and network with top university researchers.
For vendor show exhibitor information and recent funding statistics on our UW Madison vendor show, click the button below.
