Against the odds: For children with resistant leukemia, immunotherapy offers hope

SCRMC faculty members Dr. Christian Capitini and Dr. Peiman Hematti treat a patient at UW Health’s American Family Children’s Hospital with her own, genetically modified immune cells. The first gene therapy approved in the United States, CAR T therapy is being explored as a treatment for blood cancers that do not respond well to chemotherapy. – By David Wahlberg for the Wisconsin State Journal.

UW researchers identify arterial hemogenic endothelial cells that can function as lymphoid precursors

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health have used human stem cells to make blood-forming cells and demonstrated that they can function as lymphoid precursors, or the earliest cells from which various immune cells arise. These findings may be helpful for treating a variety of blood cancers, according to Igor Slukvin, MD, PhD, SCRMC faculty member, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and lead scientist of the research studies.

2018 NFXF SUMMER SCHOLAR RESEARCH AWARDS

Each year, the National Fragile X Foundation funds one or more summer student research fellowships at $2500 each through the Summer Student Fellowship Research Fund. The student’s work can be in the area of Fragile …

WID Researchers Looking to the Future with UW2020 Awards

Among those with support, Krishanu Saha, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at WID and faculty member of the SCRMC, studies human cell engineering, including CRISPR gene editing and epigenetic reprogramming. Saha is the lead investigator on a project to generate new CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tools capable of making precise edits to new types of tissues, expanding the impact of genomic medicine to treat new diseases. He is also a co-PI on a project to establish advanced gene editing technologies on campus to accelerate researchers’ ability to create genetically modified animal models of human disease.

20th anniversary of publication of “Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Derived from Human Blastocysts”

Nov. 6, 2018 will mark the 20th anniversary of publication of “Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Derived from Human Blastocysts.” The seminal paper, published in the journal Science, documented a breakthrough that occurred when researchers, led by James (Jamie) Thomson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, developed a technique to isolate and grow human embryonic stem cells in cell culture.

Fueling hope for Rett Syndrome

SCRMC faculty member Qiang Chang is working to help people who have Rett Syndrome, a non-inherited brain disorder that causes severe impairments, typically in young girls. Chang was interviewed by Madison’s NBC15 on Feb. 16.

New awards support innovative approaches

Two SCRMC faculty members have projects funded through the New Investigator Program. Alexey Glukhov, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine and Darcie Moore, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Neuroscience, each receive $100,000 over two years …