Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Encyclopedia
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is a research institute affiliated with the Wake Forest School of Medicine and located at Winston-Salem, North Carolina
, United States
. Regenerative medicine
is "a practice that aims to refurbish diseased or damaged tissue using the body's own healthy cells." The institute opened its doors in May 2006 in an urban research downtown park in a 189000 square feet (17,558.7 m²) research building. The facility is part of the Piedmont Triad Research Park
.
Anthony Atala
, M.D., is the Director of the Institute. He and many of his team came to North Carolina from the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering
and Cellular Therapeutics at the Children's Hospital Boston
and Harvard Medical School
. Notable achievements announced at Wake Forest Institute have been the first lab-grown organ, a bladder, the artificial urinary bladder
to be implanted into a human. and stem cells harvested from the amniotic fluid
of pregnant women. These stems cells are pluripotent, meaning they can be manipulated to differentiate into various types of mature cells that make up nerve, muscle, bone, and other tissues while avoiding the problems of tumor formation and ethical concerns that are associated with embryonic stem cells.
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Regenerative medicine
Regenerative medicine
Regenerative medicine is the "process of replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore orestablish normal function". This field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by replacing damaged tissue and/or by stimulating the body's own repair...
is "a practice that aims to refurbish diseased or damaged tissue using the body's own healthy cells." The institute opened its doors in May 2006 in an urban research downtown park in a 189000 square feet (17,558.7 m²) research building. The facility is part of the Piedmont Triad Research Park
Piedmont Triad Research Park
The Piedmont Triad Research Park , in Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA, is a highly interactive, master-planned innovation community developed to support life science and information technology research and development...
.
Anthony Atala
Anthony Atala
Anthony Atala, M.D., is the W.H. Boyce Professor and Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Chair of the Department of Urology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina...
, M.D., is the Director of the Institute. He and many of his team came to North Carolina from the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering
Tissue engineering
Tissue engineering is the use of a combination of cells, engineering and materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physio-chemical factors to improve or replace biological functions...
and Cellular Therapeutics at the Children's Hospital Boston
Children's Hospital Boston
Children's Hospital Boston is a 396-licensed bed children's hospital in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area of Boston, Massachusetts.At 300 Longwood Avenue, Children's is adjacent both to its teaching affiliate, Harvard Medical School, and to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute...
and Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. Notable achievements announced at Wake Forest Institute have been the first lab-grown organ, a bladder, the artificial urinary bladder
Artificial urinary bladder
An artificial urinary bladder is an artificial organ to replace a urinary bladder.On April 4, 2006, it was announced that a team of biologists at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, led by Professor Anthony Atala, had created the world's first lab-grown organ, a bladder, and transplanted...
to be implanted into a human. and stem cells harvested from the amniotic fluid
Amniotic fluid
Amniotic fluid or liquor amnii is the nourishing and protecting liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a pregnant woman.- Development of amniotic fluid :...
of pregnant women. These stems cells are pluripotent, meaning they can be manipulated to differentiate into various types of mature cells that make up nerve, muscle, bone, and other tissues while avoiding the problems of tumor formation and ethical concerns that are associated with embryonic stem cells.