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Our mission is to develop effective strategies to prevent, treat, and reverse end organ failure. Mesenchymal stem cells can suppress destructive inflammatory processes and promote beneficial regenerative processes. They are an attractive cellular therapeutic with great potential which has yet to be realized. Three fundamental questions underlie our investigations: 1) how do mesenchymal stem cells exert their effects on other cells, 2) how can these effects be optimized to reduce inflammation and hasten tissue regeneration, and 3) under what circumstances do mesenchymal stem cells become dysfunctional?
We are studying mesenchymal stem cells for their ability to reduce the inflammatory and destructive processes observed in kidney and heart failure, and the neurologic failures observed in Alzheimer’s and stroke. We are also interested in the ability of mesenchymal stem cells to induce long-term acceptance to organ transplants such as kidneys and hearts by commandeering and redirecting host immune responses. Last, we are interested in mesenchymal stem cell responses to debilitating conditions, such as diabetes or radiation, and how impaired mesenchymal stem cell cross-talk with cells of the hematopoietic niche can lead to their dysfunction in tissue repair and regeneration.
For more information on our efforts, please contact Amelia Bartholomew, MD, MPH, FACS, ambart@uic.edu, College of Medicine Research Building, Suite 5060, 909 South Wolcott, Chicago, Illinois, 60607 phone: 312-355-4065.