Federal Contract For Restoration Of Damaged Muscle

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Federal Contract For Restoration Of Damaged Muscle

24 Mar 2009

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/143374.php

CellThera, a biotechnology company located in Worcester Polytechnic Institute's

Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park, has received a contract

from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to extend its

research program in tissue regeneration. Under the terms of the contract,

CellThera, which is part of WPI's Bioengineering Institute (BEI), and the

university will continue their joint efforts aimed at restoring tissues damaged

or lost due to traumatic injury.

" We are very pleased to be moving into the next phase of this work, " said

Page, PhD, research assistant professor in BEI and WPI's Department of

Biology and Biotechnology, who serves as the principal investigator for WPI's

portion of the program. " The collaboration between WPI and CellThera continues

to grow and show progress. We look forward to tackling the challenges ahead. "

DARPA, which serves as the research and development wing of the U.S. Defense

Department, awarded CellThera a one-year $570,000 contract, with an option to

extend for a second year, to fund studies aimed at regenerating mammalian muscle

tissue. CellThera, in turn, subcontracted with WPI for certain elements of the

research. This joint research model was established in 2006, when DARPA funded

the first phase of the tissue regeneration program. In that initial phase of the

research, the CellThera/WPI team, working in conjunction with colleagues at

Tulane University, succeeded in reprogramming mouse and human skin cells to act

more like stem cells, able to form the early structures needed to begin the

process of re-growing lost tissues.

In the new phase of the program, the CellThera/WPI team will try to reprogram

and engineer cells to replace damaged skeletal muscle and to restore the normal

function of that muscle. Joining the effort for the new phase of this work will

be Pins, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering at WPI, who

has pioneered novel cell-delivery strategies that will be useful for the

project. The new phase also involves collaboration with the clinical research

team led by Dunn, MD, professor of surgery and cell biology at the

University of Massachusetts Medical School and chief of plastic and

reconstructive surgery at UMass Memorial Medical Center.

" This new award not only validates the important work CellThera and WPI are

doing in the area of regenerative medicine, but by bringing together basic

science, engineering and the clinical expertise of UMass, along with the

commercial strength in the Worcester region, this work will help push the

science closer to the clinic and closer to helping people recover from

devastating injuries, " said W. Overström, PhD, professor and head of WPI's

Department of Biology and Biotechnology.

The long-range goal of the DARPA program is to find ways to harness the body's

natural regenerative abilities to heal wounds that involve bone, muscle, nerves,

and soft tissue. The impetus for the program is to develop new therapies for

soldiers who return home from war with major injuries. If successful, however,

the science will have a broad range of civilian applications, as well.

" Translating basic science advances into products and technologies that can

improve people's lives is BEI's core mission,' said BEI Director W. Grant

McGimpsey, PhD. " So it's exciting to see the talented teams at CellThera, WPI

and UMass Medical School working together seamlessly to advance this program. "

Notes:

About CellThera

CellThera is an early-stage biotechnology company focused on inducing somatic

cells to revert to multi-potent states to facilitate wound-healing and tissue

regeneration. The company was founded by Tanja Dominko, PhD, DVM, now an

associate professor of biology and biotechnology at WPI.

About UMass Medical School

The University of Massachusetts Medical School, one of the fastest growing

academic health centers in the country, has built a reputation as a world-class

research institution, consistently producing noteworthy advances in clinical and

basic research. The Medical School attracts more than $193 million in research

funding annually, 80 percent of which comes from federal funding sources. UMMS

is the academic partner of UMass Memorial Health Care, the largest health care

provider in Central Massachusetts.

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI was one of the nation's first

engineering and technology universities. WPI's14 academic departments offer more

than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering,

technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts,

leading to bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees. WPI's world-class faculty work

with students in a number of cutting-edge research areas, leading to

breakthroughs and innovations in such fields as biotechnology, fuel cells,

information security, materials processing, and nanotechnology. Students also

have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations

around the world through the university's innovative Global Perspective Program.

There are more than 20 WPI project centers throughout North America and Central

America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe.

Source: Cohen

Worcester Polytechnic Institute