Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Dennis M Lox
Sports & Regenerative Medicine Centers, Florida
Keynote: Scaffolds and stem cells: A tissue engineering approach
Biography:
Dennis M Lox is a world renowned Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell expert. He has lectured internationally with some of the most acclaimed Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell researchers in the world. He has a special interest in Regenerative and Stem Cell Medicine relating to athletes, osteoarthritis in athletes and the aging population, and avascular necrosis. He has edited two medical textbooks, written eight medical textbook chapters, and authored numerous scientific publications and abstracts. He maintains an active Regenerative Medicine practice in Beverly Hills, California and the Tampa Bay, Florida area. He has treated patients from around the globe at his offices, ranging from elite professional athletes, to patients in their teens to over age 90. Utilizing his vast experience he maintains an individualized approach to each patient
Abstract:
Regenerative Medicine has found traction in numerous medical specialties, including orthopedic and rheumatologic conditions. Clinical studies have utilized various stem cell sources both allogenic and autologous. Tissue engineering strategies with long routes in wound repair models with a variety of scaffolding materials have been applied to the orthopedic model, most frequently the knee. Scaffolds incorporating stem cell medicine have also been studied and used. The most frequent ailment afflicting the knee is degenerative osteoarthritis. Traditional medical models do not alter the progression of this disorder. It is through investigation of Regenerative and Tissue Engineering strategies, that halting or reversing the progressive nature of degenerative osteoarthritis hope remains. A thorough understanding of the complex nature of degenerative osteoarthritis as a multi-factorial disorder, occurring not only as a result of repetitive stress, joint overload, but also as a function of local cytokine signaling. These signaling processes result in catabolism exceeding reparative processes. These cytokine signaling mechanisms are familiar in the Rheumatologic arena, but have not received widespread attention in mainstream medicine. Stem cells and some scaffolds exert a positive reparative or anabolism to counter the degradation of catabolic inflammatory cytokines. The utilization of scaffolds and stem cells merge Regenerative and Tissue Engineering technologies, where the future may include this as a Preventative Medicine Strategy as well.
- Scaffolds in Regenerative Medicine|Stem Cells|Stem Cell Treatments|Tissue Repair and Regeneration|Tissue Engineering| Regenerative Medicine
Session Introduction
Ing-Ming Chiu
National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan
Title: Concerted interactions of neurogenesis and myelinogenesis in promoting neuroregeneration
Time : 10:50-11:20
Biography:
Ing-Ming Chiu is currently a Distinguished Investigator and Professor at the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan. He is the Group Leader of a multidisciplinary research group in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. He has earned his PhD in Biochemistry at Florida State University. He did Post-Doctoral training in National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland before joining as the Faculty in The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in 1986. He served as the Director of the Brain Tumor Gene Therapy Program at The Ohio State University. In the National Health Research Institutes, his group developed a method to combine the use of nerve conduits, FGF1 and neural stem cells in the repair of sciatic nerve injury. He has published more than 140 papers and have received 14 patents.
Abstract:
Regeneration of injured peripheral nerves and spinal cord is a slow and complicated process that could be improved by implantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) or nerve conduit. We previously showed that implantation of NSCs along with conduits promotes the regeneration of damaged nerve. The improvement is likely due to conduit supports and guides axonal growth from the proximal nerve stump to the distal one, while preventing fibrous tissue ingrowth and retaining neurotrophic factors; and implanted NSCs differentiate into Schwann cells and maintain a growth factor-enriched microenvironment, which promotes nerve regeneration. We identified IL12p80 (homodimer of IL12p40) in the cell extracts of implanted nerve conduit combined with NSCs by using protein antibody array and western blotting analyses. Levels of IL12p80 in these conduits are 1.6-fold higher than those in conduits without NSCs. In the sciatic nerve injury mouse model, implantation of NSCs combined with nerve conduit and IL12p80 improves motor recovery and increases the diameter up to 4.5-fold, at the medial site of the regenerated nerve. In vitro studies further revealed that IL12p80 stimulates the Schwann cell differentiation of mouse NSCs. Moreover, the cellular differentiation is enhanced through phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3). Our results suggest that IL12p80 could trigger Schwann cell differentiation of NSCs through Stat3 phosphorylation. Differentiation of myelinating Schwann cells increases the diameter of regenerated nerves and, in turn, enhances the functional recovery in a mouse sciatic nerve injury model.
Yoshihisa Suzuki
Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan
Title: Peripheral nerve regeneration using artificial nerve sheets composed of freeze-dried alginate gel
Biography:
Yoshihisa Suzuki obtained his MD and PhD degrees from Kyoto University, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan during 1980-1986. Later, he joined Kyoto University, Faculty of Medicine, Plastic Surgery Department as a Staff Member in June, 1986. In May 1987, he joined Osaka Red Cross Hospital as a Staff Member. He later held various positions as Staff Member (1990.6-1998.1), Assistant Professor (1998.2-1999.12) and Associate Professor (2000.1-2006.6) at Kyoto University, Faculty of Medicine, Plastic Surgery Department. From July 2006 to present, he is the Director, Department of Plastic Surgery at Kitano Hospital, Osaka. He is also a Visiting Professor, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and Specially Appointed Professor, Department of Plastic Surgery at Shiga University of Medical Science since 2015.
Abstract:
Long injury gaps of the peripheral nerve are treated by autologous nerve transplantation, although sequelae, such as pain and numbness, remain at the donor sites of nerves for transplantation. To solve this problem, tubular artificial nerves were developed. However, they have several drawbacks, such as the need for several types of materials with different diameters due to the tube structure, prolonged surgery time because of the need for suture, and inapplicability to the nerve branch and plexus because of the linear structure. Thus, we have initiated the development of products to overcome the above drawbacks, which can produce plant-derived alginate. Our new concept of nerve regeneration materials is to process a freeze-dried sponge into a sheet rather than a tube structure using sodium alginate as a covalently crosslinked gel. Its applicability to defects in the branched nerve was tested using rats. Nerve defect was made in the branched site from the sciatic nerve to the peroneal and the tibial nerves. Eight weeks after operation, regenerated axons were observed in both the peroneal and tibial nerves. The nerve axons were elongated and Schwann cells migrated in low-molecular-weight alginate after biodegradation. It can be considered that alginate gel is a potent material for promoting peripheral nerve regeneration at branched site, and that the non-tubular method is a promising approach for the repair of the peripheral nerve.
Yoshihisa Suzuki
Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan
Title: Peripheral nerve regeneration using artificial nerve sheets composed of freeze-dried alginate gel
Biography:
Yoshihisa Suzuki obtained his MD and PhD degrees from Kyoto University, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan during 1980-1986. Later, he joined Kyoto University, Faculty of Medicine, Plastic Surgery Department as a Staff Member in June, 1986. In May 1987, he joined Osaka Red Cross Hospital as a Staff Member. He later held various positions as Staff Member (1990.6-1998.1), Assistant Professor (1998.2-1999.12) and Associate Professor (2000.1-2006.6) at Kyoto University, Faculty of Medicine, Plastic Surgery Department. From July 2006 to present, he is the Director, Department of Plastic Surgery at Kitano Hospital, Osaka. He is also a Visiting Professor, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and Specially Appointed Professor, Department of Plastic Surgery at Shiga University of Medical Science since 2015.
Abstract:
Long injury gaps of the peripheral nerve are treated by autologous nerve transplantation, although sequelae, such as pain and numbness, remain at the donor sites of nerves for transplantation. To solve this problem, tubular artificial nerves were developed. However, they have several drawbacks, such as the need for several types of materials with different diameters due to the tube structure, prolonged surgery time because of the need for suture, and inapplicability to the nerve branch and plexus because of the linear structure. Thus, we have initiated the development of products to overcome the above drawbacks, which can produce plant-derived alginate. Our new concept of nerve regeneration materials is to process a freeze-dried sponge into a sheet rather than a tube structure using sodium alginate as a covalently crosslinked gel. Its applicability to defects in the branched nerve was tested using rats. Nerve defect was made in the branched site from the sciatic nerve to the peroneal and the tibial nerves. Eight weeks after operation, regenerated axons were observed in both the peroneal and tibial nerves. The nerve axons were elongated and Schwann cells migrated in low-molecular-weight alginate after biodegradation. It can be considered that alginate gel is a potent material for promoting peripheral nerve regeneration at branched site, and that the non-tubular method is a promising approach for the repair of the peripheral nerve.