McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Alejandro Nieponice, MD, PhD (pictured), is currently a research assistant professor of the department of surgery at University of Pittsburgh. He is also the director of minimally invasive esophageal surgery at Fundación Favaloro in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dr. Nieponice recently participated in a TEDx held in La Plata, Argentina. The focus of his presentation was regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and their uses in surgical applications.
In collaboration with McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Blair Jobe, MD, and Fundación Favaloro’s Adolfo Badaloni, MD, Dr. Nieponice is utilizing extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived scaffolds to regenerate esophageal tissue with the aim of decreasing the morbidity and mortality of current surgical procedures. He is also conducting research with other biomaterials to improve healing of gastrointestinal tissue with the aim of decreasing surgical complications.
Dr. Nieponice's main goal is to foster clinical translation of novel tissue engineering approaches by bridging his surgical and research background. To accomplish that, he has promoted the creation of a Clinical Translation Unit (CTU) within the operative room, providing full cell culture capabilities to facilitate clinical translation of cell-based technologies. The CTU is a joint project between Research and Development RA SA and Hospital Universitario Austral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in partnership with the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Pittsburgh, USA.
Illustration: McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Watch/Read more…
TEDx Río de la Plata video (in Spanish)
English subtitles available; see instructions
here.
Bio: Dr. Alejandro Nieponice
Bio: Dr. Stephen Badylak
Bio: Dr. Blair Jobe