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University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 11, No. 34
Aug. 31, 2007
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This week’s news:
* Human derived stem cells can repair rat hearts damaged by heart attack
* Saint Louis University Hospital executive Stephen P. Zieniewicz named new executive director of UW Medical Center
* Washington Technology Center accepting applications for fall 2007 research and development grants
* Susan McCurry to speak at Seattle Public Library on difficulties of caring for loved one with Alzheimer's or other dementia
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HUMAN DERIVED CELLS CAN REPAIR DAMAGED RAT HEARTS
When human heart muscle cells derived from embryonic stem cells are implanted into a rat after a heart attack, they can help rebuild the animal's heart muscle and improve function of the organ, UW scientists report in the September issue of Nature Biotechnology. The researchers also developed a new process that greatly improves how stem cells are turned into heart muscle cells and then survive after being implanted in the damaged rat heart. The findings suggest that stem-cell-based treatments might one day help people suffering from heart disease, the leading cause of death in most of the world.
The scientists set out to tackle two of the main challenges to treating damaged hearts with stem cells: the creation of cardiac cells from embryonic stem cells, and the survival of those cells once they are implanted in a damaged heart.
Embryonic stem cells can differentiate, or turn into, any type of cell found in the body. But researchers had struggled to get stem cells to differentiate into just cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells -- most previous efforts resulted in cell preparations in which only a fraction of 1 percent of the differentiated cells were cardiac muscle cells. By treating the stem cells with two growth factors, or growth-encouraging proteins, and then purifying the cells, they were able to turn about 90 percent of stem cells into cardiomyocytes.
The researchers dealt with the other big challenge of stem cell death by implanting the cells along with a cocktail of compounds aimed at helping them grow. The cocktail included a growth "matrix"-- a sort of scaffolding for the cells to latch on to as they grow -- and drugs that block processes related to cell death. When using the pro-growth cocktail, the success rate of heart muscle grafts improved drastically: 100 percent of rat hearts showed successful tissue grafts, compared to only 18 percent in grafts without the cocktail.
Follow-up imaging of treated rat hearts showed that the grafts helped thicken the walls that normally stretch out after a heart attack and cause the heart to weaken. The thickened walls were also associated with more vigorous contraction.
Michael Laflamme, UW assistant professor of pathology, was the lead author of the study, and Chuck Murry, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Biology in the UW Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, was corresponding author. The research team included scientists from Geron Corp. in Menlo Park, Calif.
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STEPHEN ZIENIEWICZ TO LEAD UW MEDICAL CENTER
Stephen P. Zieniewicz has been selected as the new executive director for UW Medical Center, effective Sept. 17. He will provide executive leadership for the hospital and serve as a member of the senior leadership team for UW Medicine.
Zieniewicz has served as chief operating officer at Saint Louis University Hospital and Tenet Healthcare Corp. since 2004. He has more than 25 years of experience in health care.
Saint Louis University Hospital is a 356-bed tertiary/quaternary care facility recognized by US News & World Report for geriatric care. The hospital has a comprehensive organ transplant program that serves the Midwest, is a cardiac center of excellence for quality and efficiency, and is the busiest level I trauma center for the Missouri and Illinois region. The hospital is owned by Tenet Healthcare Corp. and is the academic medical center and teaching hospital for the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Prior to working at Saint Louis University Hospital, Zieniewicz worked in the Winthrop South Nassau University Health System on Long Island, N.Y., serving as the vice president for support and ancillary services at South Nassau Hospital. He facilitated the launch and clinical integration of the 11-hospital Long Island Health Network, where he was an assistant vice president. For seven years, he was an Administrator at Winthrop-University Hospital. He began his career at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. and spent 12 years in that system, and was promoted from a staff role to management and senior management positions.
Zieniewicz holds a master's degree in public health from the Columbia University School of Public Health in New York and a bachelor's degree in biology from St. John’s University in New York. He is also currently an adjunct assistant professor of health management and policy at Saint Louis University School of Public Health and is a board-certified health-care executive as a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has also served as chairman for the Statewide Disaster Preparedness Committee of the Missouri Department of Health, Division of Health and Senior Services.
Zieniewicz will report directly to Johnese Spisso, UW vice president for medical affairs and clinical operations officer for UW Medicine.
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WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY CENTER ACCEPTING GRANT APPLICATIONS
The Washington Technology Center is accepting applications for its fall 2007 round of research and development grants. The center is a statewide economic development and research support organization headquartered at the UW.
The WTC research and technology development grants provide seed funding for projects with near-term potential for commercialization. The grants are given to teams consisting of eligible university or non-profit researchers and a Washington-based company. The funding can pay up to 80 percent of the cost of the research project. Research teams can receive up to $100,000 for initial concepts and up to $300,000 total for multi-phase projects.
The next round of grants will be awarded in December. Interested parties should submit a notice of intent form by Sept. 13, and submit a full application by Oct. 18. Application materials and more information are available on the center's Web site at http://www.watechcenter.org
For more information, contact project manager Russell Paez at 206-616-3102, rpaez@watechcenter.org
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MCCURRY TO SPEAK AT SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Susan McCurry, UW research associate professor of psychosocial and community health in the School of Nursing, is kicking off the UW Medicine/Seattle Public Library Medical Lecture Series next week. McCurry will speak on Caring for the Caregiver, and discuss how those caring for people with Alzheimer's or other dementia can be more resilient in facing the challenges of care giving.
The lecture is at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 5, in the Microsoft Auditorium at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle. The event is free and open to all, and parking is available in the Central Library garage for $5.
McCurry, who wrote the book When a Family Member has Dementia, is an adjunct research associate professor in the School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She is an attending psychologist in the UW Medicine Geriatric and Family Services Clinic.
The UW Medicine/Seattle Public Library lecture series will feature several medical experts, and runs through March 2008. For more information, visit http://www.spl.org/
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Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu
Online News is copyright 2007. All rights, including electronic
redistribution, are reserved.
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