Anthony Atala
Encyclopedia
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
.http://wfirm.org/faculty_atala.htm Regenerative medicine
is "a practice that aims to refurbish diseased or damaged tissue using the body's own healthy cells."
in 1958, grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. Atala attended the University of Miami
and has an undergraduate degree in Psychology.http://www.businessnc.com/archives/2005/07/health_care.html He went to medical school at the University of Louisville
where he also completed his residency in urology. He was a fellow at the Harvard Medical School
affiliated Children's Hospital Boston from 1990-1992 where he trained under world renowned pediatric urologic surgeons Alan Retik and Hardy Hendren. He served as the Director of the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Cellular Therapeutics at Children's Hospital Boston.http://www1.wfubmc.edu/oprd/physdetail.htm?PhysicianID=843 His work there involved growing human tissues and organs to replace those damaged by disease or defects. This work became important due to shortages in the organ-donor program.http://masshightech.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2003/07/21/story8.html
Dr. Atala continued his work in Tissue engineering
and Printable organs
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3292 at Wake Forest University in 2004.http://www1.wfubmc.edu/News/NewsARticle.htm?ArticleID=30 Dr. Atala led the team that developed the first lab-grown organ, a bladder, to be implanted into a human.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4871540.stm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16631879&query_hl=3&itool=pubmed_docsum
Aside from his ground breaking research, Dr. Atala also tends to clinical and administrative responsibilities. He operates regularly and runs a busy clinic at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital, the teaching hospital of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine
. He is also in charge of a rapidly growing urology department and has been successful in recruiting other renowned faculty to Wake Forest such as Gopal Badlani, James Yoo and Gordon McLorie.
Along with Harvard University
researchers and as described in the journal Nature Biotechnologyhttp://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v25/n1/abs/nbt1274.html, he has announced that stem cells with enormous potential can be harvested from the amniotic fluid
of pregnant women. These amniotic stem 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.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674.html
With respect to the amniotic fluid stem cells ("AFS" cells)http://www.american.com/archive/2007/january-0107/an-easy-cell/, Dr. Atala said the following:
"The cells come from the fetus, which breathes and sucks in, then excretes, the amniotic fluid throughout pregnancy;"
"Like embryonic stem cells, they appear to thrive in lab dishes for years, while normal cells, called somatic cells, die after a time ;"
"They are easier to grow than human embryonic stem cells. And, unlike embryonic stem cells, they do not form a type of benign tumour called a teratoma;" and
"A bank with 100,000 specimens of the amniotic stem cells theoretically could supply 99 per cent of the US population with perfect genetic matches for transplants."http://www.smh.com.au/news/science/new-stem-cell-source-found-scientists/2007/01/08/1168104904959.html
Dr. Atala's work was seized on by opponents of the Embryonic Stem Cell Research Bill http://www.speaker.gov/legislation?id=0006 (a part of the 100-Hour Plan
of the Democratic Party
in the 110th United States Congress
) as a more moral alternative. He wrote a letter saying, inter alia, "Some may be interpreting my research as a substitute for the need to pursue other forms of regenerative medicine therapies, such as those involving embryonic stem cells. I disagree with that assertion."
Peer-reviewed journals
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
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...
, and Chair of the Department of Urology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
The Wake Forest School of Medicine is the medical school of Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is affiliated with North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Physicians, forming part of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center system...
in North Carolina
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...
.http://wfirm.org/faculty_atala.htm 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."
Biography
Atala was born in PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
in 1958, grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. Atala attended the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
and has an undergraduate degree in Psychology.http://www.businessnc.com/archives/2005/07/health_care.html He went to medical school at the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
where he also completed his residency in urology. He was a fellow at the 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....
affiliated Children's Hospital Boston from 1990-1992 where he trained under world renowned pediatric urologic surgeons Alan Retik and Hardy Hendren. He served as the Director of the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Cellular Therapeutics at Children's Hospital Boston.http://www1.wfubmc.edu/oprd/physdetail.htm?PhysicianID=843 His work there involved growing human tissues and organs to replace those damaged by disease or defects. This work became important due to shortages in the organ-donor program.http://masshightech.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2003/07/21/story8.html
Dr. Atala continued his work in 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 Printable organs
Printable organs
Using modified inkjet printers into 3d printers, scientists are producing three-dimensional living biological tissue. The printer cartridges are washed out and filled with a suspension of living cells and a "smart gel". Alternating patterns of the smart gel and living cells are printed using a...
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3292 at Wake Forest University in 2004.http://www1.wfubmc.edu/News/NewsARticle.htm?ArticleID=30 Dr. Atala led the team that developed the first lab-grown organ, a bladder, to be implanted into a human.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4871540.stm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16631879&query_hl=3&itool=pubmed_docsum
Aside from his ground breaking research, Dr. Atala also tends to clinical and administrative responsibilities. He operates regularly and runs a busy clinic at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital, the teaching hospital of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
The Wake Forest School of Medicine is the medical school of Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is affiliated with North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Physicians, forming part of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center system...
. He is also in charge of a rapidly growing urology department and has been successful in recruiting other renowned faculty to Wake Forest such as Gopal Badlani, James Yoo and Gordon McLorie.
Along with Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
researchers and as described in the journal Nature Biotechnologyhttp://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v25/n1/abs/nbt1274.html, he has announced that stem cells with enormous potential can be 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 amniotic stem cells
Amniotic stem cells
Amniotic stem cells are multipotent stem cells of mesenchymal origin extracted from amniotic fluid.Amniotic stem cells are able to differentiate into various tissue type such as skin, cartilage, cardiac tissue, nerves, muscle, and bone, and may have potential future medical applications.All over...
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.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674.html
With respect to the amniotic fluid stem cells ("AFS" cells)http://www.american.com/archive/2007/january-0107/an-easy-cell/, Dr. Atala said the following:
"The cells come from the fetus, which breathes and sucks in, then excretes, the amniotic fluid throughout pregnancy;"
"Like embryonic stem cells, they appear to thrive in lab dishes for years, while normal cells, called somatic cells, die after a time ;"
"They are easier to grow than human embryonic stem cells. And, unlike embryonic stem cells, they do not form a type of benign tumour called a teratoma;" and
"A bank with 100,000 specimens of the amniotic stem cells theoretically could supply 99 per cent of the US population with perfect genetic matches for transplants."http://www.smh.com.au/news/science/new-stem-cell-source-found-scientists/2007/01/08/1168104904959.html
Dr. Atala's work was seized on by opponents of the Embryonic Stem Cell Research Bill http://www.speaker.gov/legislation?id=0006 (a part of the 100-Hour Plan
100-Hour Plan
The 100-Hour Plan was a United States Democratic Party political strategy detailing the actions the party pursued upon assuming leadership of the 110th Congress on January 4, 2007. The strategy was announced before the 2006 midterm elections. Speaker Nancy Pelosi pledged that her party would...
of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in the 110th United States Congress
110th United States Congress
The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of...
) as a more moral alternative. He wrote a letter saying, inter alia, "Some may be interpreting my research as a substitute for the need to pursue other forms of regenerative medicine therapies, such as those involving embryonic stem cells. I disagree with that assertion."
External links
- The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
- A Tissue Engineer Sows Cells and Grows Organs, Ann Parson, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, 11 July 2006 - Regenerative Medicine: 2012, The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, 7 May 2007 - Interview with Dr. A. Atala, NDT Educational
Peer-reviewed journals