Regenerative Medicine - The McGowan Institute @ The University of Pittsburgh

April 9, 2009

Hi all. I am a lurker (for the most part) but I read the posts every day.

I recently viewed the YouTube video regarding regenerating cells and was so

excited that I contacted The McGowan Institute about it. While the response was

not exactly what I was looking for, I did appreciate Dr. Fox's quick reply. I

hope this does not depress anyone because that is not my reason for posting. I

merely wanted to let all of you know that Dr. Fox told me.

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From: Ira Fox

Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 2:35 PM

To: janjan1@...

Subject: Regenerative Medicine

Dear Janet,

Thank you for your e-mail. I appreciate your situation as I am both a stem

cell scientist/clinician and have been a liver transplant surgeon for more

than 25 years. Unfortunately, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis is a disease of

the bile ducts that secondarily affects the liver cells, causing them to

fail. While we could probably learn a great deal about PSC from growing stem

cells derived from your skin and turning them into bile duct and liver

cells, re-growing a liver from your liver cells, were that even possible at

this time, would not resolve your personal situation. In the end, organ

transplantation remains the treatment of choice for you as the risk of

developing a tumor in your bile ducts will remain a concern throughout your

life.

I'm sorry to inform you that this is really your best option, but, I'd like

to reassure you that whole liver transplantation in 2009 is a very

successful long-term treatment for PSC and the risks from the surgery and

the immune suppression used to control rejection has dramatically improved

over the years. I hope this e-mail addresses your question, and I wish you

good luck in finding that liver for transplantation.

Best wishes,

Ira J. Fox, MD

Professor of Surgery

Director, Center for Innovative Regenerative Therapies

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

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