WUSTL Opens New Regenerative Medicine Research Center

Life science research institutions around the country are constantly expanding and providing more space and opportunity for researchers to conduct their work. Recently, Baylor St. Luke's at the Texas Medical Center announced the construction of a new medical campus that was underway and UGA opened a new Veterinary Research Center earlier this year. Washington University in St. Louis is also expanding research space, with a newly opened Center for Regenerative Medicine.

In the Center for Regenerative Medicine, scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine and from the Danforth campus at WUSTL will work collaboratively on research projects involving the regenerative properties of cells and tissues.

Lilianna Solnica-Krezel, PhD, a co-director of the center, explained that “we want to facilitate research in the area of regenerative medicine, eventually leading to new methods to promote tissue regeneration in ways that improve healing. We have about 70 faculty involved in the center from across the entire School of Medicine, plus the Departments of Biology and of Biomedical and of Mechanical Engineering on the Danforth Campus.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Some of the research topics that will be covered in the center include:

• Cell and tissue engineering
• Cellular reprogramming
• Stem cell research
• Tissue regeneration

"New methods to study regeneration are continually expanding and growing,” Dr. Solnica-Krezel explained. “The goal of our center is to support our investigators who are exploring these methods to promote healing, and tissue repair and replacement, and to bring people studying these methodologies to Washington University.” 

Along with lab space for collaborative research projects, the center also include numerous resources for the faculty and researchers to utilize. These resources include:

• The Washington University School of Medicine Zebrafish Facility
• Bioinformatics and statistics support services
• Core resources for stem cells and mouse models

Washington University in St. Louis is a leader in life science research and publications. The university is made up of hundreds of researchers who work throughout dozens of different disciplines and centers to solve leading scientific questions. This work is funded through private and public donations and grants, giving the university millions of dollars for laboratories.

In the 2015 fiscal year, the university received more than $377.6 million in funding from the NIH alone. Research projects benefiting from this funding include:

• Researchers at Washington University, St. Louis are leading a $32 million, multi-institutional campaign to harness a newly recognized cellular defense against infection.
• The NIH awarded two five-year grants totaling $26 million to leukemia researchers and physicians at WU School of Medicine’s Siteman Cancer Center. The funding benefits the center’s ongoing research to identify genetic changes underlying the development and progression of acute myeloid leukemia, as well as a program focused on bringing new investigational treatments into clinical trials.
• Washington University researchers received a 4-year $8 million grant to investigate the genetic and environmental roots of cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Laboratory suppliers interested in marketing lab supplies to active researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are encouraged to participate in the 17^th Annual BioResearch Product Faire™coming up on April 13, 2016. At this popular event, lab suppliers are able to display their tools and technologies for over 300 active life science researchers looking to discover new products and tools to use in their labs.

For more information about exhibiting at St. Louis event on April 13, 2016, please visit the link below: