University of California San Francisco
Give to UCSFA UCSF stem cell study conducted in mice suggests a novel strategy for treating damaged cardiac tissue in patients following a heart attack, which an estimated 785,000 Americans will experience this year.
<p>Medical geneticist Ophir Klein's studies of stem cells in tooth development and of stem cell changes in the gut may lead to new strategies for regenerating teeth and for treating craniofacial abnormalities.</p>
<p>From improved heart failure and HIV treatment, to gene therapy and stem cell discoveries, here is just a sampling from 2011 of research advances at UCSF that are keeping the research pipeline flowing toward better healthcare -- including greater patient safety, more efficient healthcare delivery, and improved outcomes for patients.</p>
<p>A cure for sickle cell anemia and other life-threatening genetic disorders that arise in the blood is the goal of a new $6.7-million, five-year research project headed by UCSF scientist Y. W. Kan, a pioneer of modern genetics and the diagnosis of genetic diseases before birth.</p>
UCSF and the Cell Technologies business of GE Healthcare Life Sciences have begun a unique collaboration aimed at overcoming the lack of blood-forming stem cells available to patients suffering from life-threatening diseases such as lymphoma, myeloma, leukemia or sickle cell anemia.
<p>UCSF's pioneering program in Development and Stem Cell Biology attracts the nation's best faculty and students who are interested in understanding how embryos develop and how cells make tissues and organs – information needed to design novel therapies to cure diseases and treat injuries.</p>