UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA www.rbc.uga.edu
LINKING RESEARCHERS AND RESOURCES
DIRECTOR STEVEN STICE Dr. Steven Stice awarded the highest scholastic faculty award, the D.W. Brooks Distinguished Professorship, is also a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar endowed chair, and director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC) at the University of Georgia. He has led industry and academic research teams in the area of pluripotent stem cells and biotechnology for more than 20 years. Stice co-founded five biotechnology
WHO IS THE RBC ?
companies—four at UGA—including ArunA Biomedical, the first company to commercialize a product used to
Known by its acronym RBC — The Regenerative Bioscience Center links researchers and resources collaborating in a
facilitate approval of Pfizer’s current cognitive enhancing
wide range of disciplines to develop new cures for the devastating diseases that touch all of our lives. With its poten-
pharmaceuticals. Stice’s research has led to publications in
tial restorative powers, regenerative medicine could offer new ways of treating diseases for which there are currently
Science and Nature journals, national news coverage, and
limited treatments - including heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and stroke.
the first U.S. patents on cloning animals and cattle stem cells, which was featured in the Wall Street Journal. The
The RBC provides a base where it brings together devoted researchers and holds the infrastructure necessary to
Stice lab is currently developing novel therapies and new
support and energize these collaborations. In addition to research, the RBC provides education to national and
technologies for drug screening, which could change the
international researchers, graduate and undergraduate classes taught by the faculty, and a program for K-12
Stem cell therapy, a form of regenerative medicine, promises to replace
lives of those suffering with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
students interested in biomedical science careers.
and promote the reparative response of diseased, dysfunctional or
Dr. Stice sits as one of the directors for REM, Regenerative
In many cases, individual members of the institute have been awarded research grants from both public, government
Engineering and Medicine — a partnership between:
and private sources of funding. Among the support has been the National Institutes of Health, American Heart
Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology and UGA.
Association and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gov’t agencies include; Environmental Protection Agency
are limited in supply. Researchers grow stem cells in a lab. These stem
He also plays an active leadership role in EBICS, Emergent
(EPA) and Department of Defense (DOD).
cells are manipulated to specialize into specific types of cells, such as
Behaviors of Integrated Cellular Systems, a National
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Science Foundation Science and Technology Center
As an award-winning scientific group, the RBC has also been published in Cell and Science, Nature Publishing, CNN,
founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Collectively our leadership holds more than 1000 publications.
injured tissue using stem cells or their derivatives. It is the next chapter of organ transplantation and uses cells instead of donor organs, which
heart muscle cells, blood cells or nerve cells. The specialized cells can then be transplanted into a person.
1. jarrod call Assistant Professor
LEADERSHIP
5. Shanta Dhar Assistant Professor
PhD, Msc ​Inorganic Chemistry Biological Chemistry and Nanoscience Combination Therapies for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease
PhD, MS Muscle Biology & Biochemistry Electrophysiology Molecular Biology of Exercise
2. Shiyou Chen Associate Professor
6. Kylee Jo Duberstein Assistant Professor
Steven Stice Professor and rbc director
PhD, MS Combination therapies for Alzheimer’s, ALS and Cardiovascular Disease Traumatic Brain Injury Genetic Engineering Technology Fracture Healing and Complex Bone Injury Pluripotent Stem Cells Environmental Toxicology
DVM, PhD Myofibroblast Activation Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) Vascular Remodeling and Inflammation Myocardial Infarction and Fibrosis
3. Julie A. Coffield
PhD Biomechanics in Response to Disease Stroke and Brain Injury
Assistant Professor
PhD Wound Healing Materials Biomaterials for Medical Device APLs Tissue Engineering
10. Shannon P. Holmes Assistant Professor
DVM, MS, Diplomate Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques MR Angiography and Lymphography Large Animal Orthopedic MRI
7. Samuel P. Franklin Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
DVM, PhD, Diplomate Orthopedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Specialist (Canine) Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Injury Stem Cell Research/Tissue engineering
DVM, PhD Toxicology MR Angiography and Lymphography Neurotoxicology
11. Shelley Hooks Assistant Professor
PhD Pharmacological Research and Ovarian Cancer
12. Elizabeth Howerth
4. Rabindranath De La Fuente Associate Professor
DVM, PhD, Msc Regulation of Large-Scale Chromatin Structure and Epigenetic Control of Gene Expression during Oogenesis Chromatin Modifications during Meiosis Cancer Epigenetics /Chromosome Instability
9. Hitesh Handa
8.
Cheryl gomillion
Professor
Assistant Professor
DVM, PhD, Diplomate Avian Pathology Cellular and Molecular Pathogenesis Neuropathology Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases
PhD, MS Cell-Biomaterial Interactions Multi-functional Biomaterials Pre-Clinical Tissue Modeling Systems
Wildlife & Exotic Animal Diseases
LEADERSHIP 13. Lohitash Karumbaiah Assistant Professor
PhD, MS Development of Novel Functional Gycomaterials for Nerve Repair and Neural Interfacing Applications
14. Marc Kent Professor
DVM Epilepsy Brain Cancer/Tumors Stroke Traumatic Brain Injuries
S. Kisaalita 15. William Professor PhD Tissue Engineering Cell-Surface Interactions Assays for High Throughput Screening (HTS) Renewable energy Utilization
16. Woo Kyun Kim Assistant Professor
PhD Stem Cell Biology Regulation of Osteogenesis and Adipogenesis Osteoporosis and Obesity
17. James D. Lauderdale Associate Professor
PhD Developmental Neurobiology Molecular Genetic Mechanisms Vertebrate Eye and Forebrain Development
18. Hongxiang Liu Assistant Professor
MD, PhD, Msc Neural crest contribution to taste buds Development of taste organs
19. jason locklin
22. LUKE MORTENSEN Assistant Professor
PhD, MS Intravital Microscopy Mesenchymal Stem Cell Homing Vivo Skeletal Progenitor Cell Biology
23. John F. Peroni
Associate Professor and rbc co-chair
DVM, MS, Diplomate Regenerative Medicine /Tissue Engineering Musculoskeletal Injuries Equine Rehabilitation Minimally Invasive Surgical Techniques
Associate Professor
PhD Chemistry and Functional Polymers Creating-Germ Free Surfaces
20. Kun Lu
Assistant Professor
PhD Environmental Omics Metabolomics and Lipidomics Molecular Toxicology /Biomarker Discovery
21. Yangqing Lu Professor
PhD Cell Culture and Biology Biochemistry Molecular Biology Polymerase Chain Reaction
24. Simon R. Platt Professor
DVM, MS, Diplomate BVM&S, MRCVS, Dipl. ACVIM (Neurology), Dipl. ECVN Canine Stroke, Brain Tumors and Spinal Cord Injury
25. Mary Alice Smith Professor
PhD Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology Microbial and Chemical Risk Assessment
26. Zion Tse
Assistant Professor
PhD Medical Robotics and Imaging Image Guided Therapy Computer-Aided Surgery
27. Maria M. Viveiros Assistant Professor
PhD Reproduction Germ Cell Development Meiotic Division
West 28. Franklin Assistant Professor and rbc co-chair PhD Aberrant Germ Cell Development Traumatic Brain Injury Neural Injury Stroke Livestock Stem Cells
29. Qun Zhao
Associate Professor
PhD Cellular MR imaging Treatment of Cancer Using SPIO Nanoparticles MR Phase Gradient Mapping Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
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RBC Fellows EMPOWERING STUDENTS
“What these students have learned will not only make them better scientists, but better people — lifelong learners who question and strive to better understand the world around them,” said Franklin West, Fellows chairperson
One of the special benefits of a large research collaboration, such as the Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC), is the opportunity it provides undergraduates to engage in applied leadership, self-reflection, constructive hypothesizing, and encountering
“When I came across Dr. Call’s research in the
difference in real-world problems and to work under the personal supervision of nationally recognized researchers.
use of stem cells in muscle regeneration, I was excited about the opportunity because I want
RBC mentors provide guidance in a way that allows their students to learn through independent and unique experiences.
to learn all I can about the topic. I am extremely
“This class opened up many possibilities and actualities that I never knew where possible. It is a truly progressive area of biology
eager to be a part of a lab that is learning about
with many opportunities that have yet come to light,” student Joette Crews.
new ways to ways to regenerate muscle and help the field progress. I think that this is an amazing
Engagement, where faculty use active and collaborative learning techniques. “Often as children, we are taught “no” to ask so
field of study and has so many applications for
many questions, however, scientific research not only encourages this, but focuses on the importance for us to constantly ask
the real world, including, but not limited to,
questions. When we ask questions, we look for answers, and in turn learn more about ourselves and the world around us,” student
healing the elderly’s injuries so they can
Aaron Maslia.
become healthy again as aged muscle doesn’t heal as well, for use in athlete injuries to help
A program that challenge students academically. “My goal has always been to be a doctor, and I know that hands on research can
them get back to their respective sports in a
teach me a lot about the medical field that I am missing in just my studies for class. When I become a doctor, I want to see that the
shorter amount of time, and even in finding
regenerative bioscience field is growing and becoming prevalent in medical success stories, and maybe someday this field will be
cures and treatments in cases where genetic
so important in the patients I am treating,” Kimberly Straub.
disorders cause muscle degradation.
Read Student Stories online:
I have learned that if you want to become great
http://rbc.uga.edu/
in anything, you have to be dedicated, smart about your time, and willing to put in the hard work and extra time. The rewards of doing, so far outweigh the temporary costs and struggle.”
Alexandra Flemington 18’ 8
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first-of-its-kind U.S. swine stroke model
RBC, Simon Platt, Shannon Holmes, Elizabeth Howerth and Franklin West
STROKE REGENERATIVE THERAPY
Worldwide, stroke is the second-leading cause of death after heart disease. The financial costs
Ischemic stroke is one of the world’s fastest-growing diseases with high mortality and the
of strokes in the U.S. is a staggering, with an estimated $34 billion each year. The risk of dying
leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Ischemic strokes result from an occlusion of a
from a stroke is higher here in the Southeast than in other areas of the country.
major cerebral artery by a thrombus or an embolism, which leads to loss of blood flow in a specific region. The remaining strokes are hemorrhagic, where a blood vessel bursts either in
It may not come as a surprise that stroke, recently referred to as “the old folks’ problem,”
the brain or on its surface.
affects over 800,000 Americans each year. However, according to the consensus report, published in the journal Neurology, 15% are young adults – and the number is rising.
Regardless of the type of stroke a person experiences, immediate medical imaging is required to prevail against damage to the brain.
For young adults, stroke is a sudden life changing event with economic consequences. Disabling patients before their most productive years, equally while dealing with
The RBC research team; Platt, Holmes, Howerth, and West showed that through Magnetic
relationships, careers and raising children. About 1 in 8 lose the ability to live independently.
Resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain they could correlate changes in stroke pig brain maps with human patient outcomes. Lending hope, that MRI neuroimaging with brain maps (ADC),
Groundbreaking Study
Alarmed by statistics, UGA scientific researchers at the Regenerative Bioscience Center hope
could become a standardize baseline for a rapid comprehensive assessment in acute stroke
advanced results from animal magnetic resonance imaging and cell-based therapies may lead
with the potential to steer timely treatment decisions for optimal human patient outcomes.
to new opportunities for treatment and prevention of the disease.
READ Publication: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24655785
There are two broad types of stroke – ischemic stroke (85% of all strokes) and hemorrhagic
New Hope to Stroke Patients 10
stroke (15% of all strokes).
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“You can think of mitochondria as a kind of powerhouse for the cell, generating the energy it needs to grow and reproduce,” said Dhar, “This pro-drug delivers cisplatin directly to the mitochondria in cancerous cells. Without that essential powerhouse, the cell cannot survive.”
“This technique could become a treatment for a number of cancers, but it may prove Shanta Dhar, assistant professor of chemistry in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Rakesh Pathak, a postdoctoral researcher in Dhar’s lab, constructed a modified version of cisplatin called Platin-M, which is designed to overcome cell resistance by attacking mitochondria within cancerous cells. They published their findings recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dhar was granted a three-year Idea development Award from the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Prostate Cancer Research Program (DoD-PCRP)
cancer: new treatments
most useful for more aggressive forms of cancer that are resistant to current therapies,” said Pathak.
Keeping milk safe and healthy to drink is a challenge in areas without electricity. William Kisaalita (top right) received $1 million to continue working on a milk cooler designed to help dairy farmers, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, who lack access to refrigeration. Hongxiang Liu was awarded a $1.25 million grant from NIH to further investigate the
Rare breed: Professor platt one of only 300 veterinary neurologists in world In the world of veterinary specialists,
Platt is working on a clinical trial for dogs
Dr. Simon Platt is a rare and evolving breed: a twice
with gliomas, the most common form of
board-certified veterinary neurologist-once by the
primary brain tumors affecting humans. The
American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine,
trial, being conducted in partnership with
and once by the European College of Veterinary
the Emory University, offers a glimpse into
Neurology. More and more veterinary neurologists
how Platt’s work is helping dogs and may
become board certified each year, but currently,
one day help humans, too.
Platt is one of about 300 in the world.
development of taste buds and taste papillae. 12
(bottom center)
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charting new directions Platelet-rich plasma and stem cell therapy with the interest of determining where and how they are applicable for treating cartilage injury or dogs suffering from osteoarthritis is being studied by veterinarian Dr. Samuel P. Franklin.
Brain-friendly interfaces The collaboration, led by Wen Shen, Mark Allen of the University of Pennsylvania, and Lohitash Karumbaiah of the University of Georgia’s Regenerative Bioscience Center found that the extracellular matrix derived electrodes adapted to the mechanical properties of brain tissue and were capable of acquiring neural recordings from the brain cortex. “Neural interface technology is literally mind boggling, considering that one might someday control a prosthetic limb with one’s own thoughts,” Karumbaiah said. Currently, one out of every 190 Americans is living with limb loss, according to the National Institutes of Health. There is a significant burden in cost of care and quality of life for people suffering from this disability.
READ MORE: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24155495 Scientist: Qun Zhao (left) has found that head and neck cancerous tumor cells in mice can be killed in half an hour without harming healthy cells. READ MORE: http://t.uga.edu/XX The research of the Zion Tse UGA Medical Robotics Lab is devoted to MRI. Tse previously worked for Harvard Medical School Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he developed systems for cardiac MRI-guided catheter surgery, ECG and surgical navigation. The lab (below) in collaboration with Emory University are developing a tool to more precisely apply therapeutic stem cells into the spines of Lou Gehrig patients. READ MORE: http://t.uga.edu/1IX
The research team is one part of many in the prosthesis industry, which includes those who design the robotics for the artificial limbs, others who make the neural prosthetic devices and developers who design the software that decodes the neural signal. READ MORE: http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/ regenerative-bioscience-center-brain-friendly-interfaces-0815/
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STEVEN STICE AND JOHN PERONI Fractures are the most common orthopedic
that shave weeks or more off of
emergency, affecting as many as seven
traditional treatment. The Regenerative
million people annually. The direct costs of
Bioscience Center receivedDepartment of
medical treatment for broken bones in the
Defense funding through a Baylor Medical
United States are estimated between $17-
School to work in tandem with the other
18 billion annually. Many fractures simply
research universities. In cooperation with
do not heal, regardless of conventional
one another, they developed a surgical
treatment.
putty, or gel, to be surgically injected and molded to repair broken bones. The
Worst of all, in wartime, fractures often
translucent substance more closely
force amputation.
resembles a gel, although researchers refer to it as putty. Once injected, it starts
What if an injection could resolve a break in
releasing powerful proteins that initiate
days, rather than weeks? At the RBC,
bone formation using the animal’s own
studies with pigs and sheep will lead the
cells.
way to a revolutionary change with
READ MORE: http://t.uga.edu/XY
regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine means restorative treatments
REGENERATIVE MEDICINE FRACTURE PUTTY THE CURE FOR BAD BREAKS A PUTTY LIKE NONE OTHER
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Funding from the Maher Family Grant from Soft Bones Inc
Building ‘ missing ’ bone for children
helping children at risk Multiyear testing methods have left the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a list of 80,000 household and industrial compounds that need to be assessed to determine potential health risks.
By CHARLENE BETOURNEY
The average American comes in contact with thousands of these chemicals each year. The biggest concern, though, is determining which of these compounds disrupt early fetal and infant brain development. To help change the paradigm of how these chemicals are tested—and how rapidly the EPA receives results—the agency tapped researchers in the University of Georgia Regenerative Bioscience Center. The university is one of three institutions sharing a $3 million grant from the EPA to more quickly determine the physiological effects of environment chemicals on children and infants. “We hope to do a study in a dish that can be completed within a week so we’ll be able to speed up the process and make it less expensive and not have to use animals,” said
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Answering questions concerning birth defects
bone and cartilage repair
center Director Steve Stice.
Rabindranath De La Fuente and Maria Viveiros are visually capturing the first process of chromosome alignment and separation at the beginning
Jason Locklin is developing biodegradable
Because of the damaging presence of these toxicants,
of mouse development. The findings could lead to answers to questions concerning the mechanisms leading to birth defects and chromosome
polymers that can be 3D printed with high
early interruptions in brain development can lead to a
instability in cancer cells. There is an urgent need to develop additional non-invasive strategies concerning maternal health.
precision. These materials can then be
broad range of lifelong problems. With one in six children
“With our unique model, by deleting the protein strictly in the female egg, we can begin to understand how maternal proteins help regulate these
used as scaffolds to facilitate the regrowth
in the U.S. diagnosed with a developmental or cognitive
initial cell divisions during early development.” The future goal of this study is to learn about the mechanisms of chromosomal defects, helping to
of bone cells, which could help people who
disorder, “it is more important than ever to understand
someday reduce the risk of chromosome instability and increase prevention through improving early prenatal care.
suffer with osteoarthritic or rheumatoidal
the potential toxicity in the chemicals that we come in
joints.
contact with every day,” Stice said.
Luke Mortensen holds up an X-ray image showing an infant’s hand, but without bones. The next image is a child’s chest, revealing no ribs. The images represent what parents might see if they have a child suffering from hypophosphatasia. HPP is an inherited condition that affects healthy development of bones and teeth, making bones softer, less likely to develop and more likely to fracture. Present at a wide range of ages—from the perinatal and infant periods to juveniles and, in rare cases, adults—HPP is a congenital bone disease where a key bone enzyme is mutated, and bones don’t grow or mineralize properly. Currently, there is no treatment for the disease. An enzyme therapy, announced just last month, is close to FDA approval. However, the enzyme drug requires multiple injections throughout a child’s growing years, and the long-term side effects are still unclear. Mortensen’s research proposes delivering bone-targeted mesenchymal stem cell therapy. Using animal modeling, Mortensen will design engineered mesenchymal stem cells with the assistance of laser microscope tracking to target therapeutic sites in the bone marrow. These newly transplanted stem cells will then conceivably reproduce new cells. Stem cells can change their function depending on where they find themselves. Mortensen’s application differs from mesenchymal stem cell trials conducted in the past, which often failed, by investigating therapeutic cell homing sites within damaged bone. A disease like HPP has significant potential, because the host cells are already damaged and are not functioning properly. So even with a small number of donor cells, the mineralization process has the potential to occur. “You don’t need it to replace every single cell in the body; you just need enough to get it going,” said Mortensen. Read More: http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/uga-researcher-missing-bone-children-suffering-from-hpp-0415/
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realizing the extraordinary promise of regenerative medicine research
Your generosity and support is viewed more than just a financial contribution, but also an opportunity to establish meaningful partnerships with those whose values we share and whose actions truly drive change.
Gifts to the RBC Fund provide our labs with unrestricted dollars to support its most promising programs and initiatives. Donations will help advance research breakthroughs such as “fracture putty�, which could dramatically change the healing period of our wounded soldiers, or a new toxicant detection tool that could lead to finding increased cases of Downs and Klinefelter syndromes in children or to infertility. Beyond the human aspect, gifts to the RBC could help save animals from spinal cord injury, which is frequent among Dachshunds or osteoarthritis, a common problem affecting many horses, cats, and dogs. Single injections of allogeneic stem cells have been shown to be well tolerated in both horses and dogs, with promising results. Stem cells assist the body in maintaining, renewing and repairing tissue and cells damaged by disease, injury and everyday life. Your gift has the power to push this groundbreaking science forward.
donate by mail Regenerative Bioscience Center Gift Fund UGA Foundation 394 S. Milledge Ave, Ste 100 Athens, GA 30602
donate online www.rbc.uga.edu
RBC University of Georgia | 425 River Road | Athens, GA 30602 | www.rbc.uga.edu