THE MAIN CAMPUS of the University of Miami (UM) is a private, non-sectarian university located in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami, Florida. Several specialized campuses can be found in other parts of Miami and its surrounding areas, including the medical campus in downtown Miami. The UM mission is “to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond.” The University was chartered in the year 1925, nearly closed in 1926 after a devastating hurricane, opened a School of Medicine in 1952, and is today a major research institution.
At the UM Miller School of Medicine, within the Division of Cardiology, is the UM Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute. The inaugural symposium for this institute was held on May 1, 2007. Scientists at the institute utilize adult stem cells in their investigations to harness the regenerative power of stem cells for therapeutic purposes. Research is driven by the institute’s mission “To spearhead the development of new regenerative therapies using a combination of stem cell biology, other basic science and the conduct of clinical trials.” Research is targeted toward human disease and the treatment thereof, using stem cell biology. Of note here is that UM focuses its research on adult stem cells and not embryonic stem cells. The director of the institute is Joshua M. Hare, M.D.
Along with basic science research, scientists at UM conduct clinical trials. Clinical trials are an invaluable method for evaluating the efficacy of a novel technology or drug for treatment, diagnosis, prevention, or cure of an ailment. In a recent clinical trial led by UM, patients across the nation participated in a randomized study examining the therapeutic use of adult human mes-enchymal stem cells after a heart attack. When stem cells were administered within days after a heart attack, patients had better recovery periods with fewer complications. The timeline is significant because current heart attack therapies are only effective within the first few hours after the heart attack. Additionally, the stem cells do not cause an immune reaction, so they do not have to be blood-type or MHC-type matched between donor and recipient. In addition to conducting research, the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute supports education of its scientists through a seminar series focusing on stem cells. These monthly seminars are presented by researchers who are invited from other institutions.
The Diabetes Research Institute, an additional part of the Miller School of Medicine, also conducts research on stem cells. Stem cell research at this institute focuses on discovering how to differentiate stem cells into pancreatic islet cells that produce insulin. These new insulin-producing cells could be used to treat patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DMI), where their original insulin-producing cells are lost. Several relevant genetic events have already been mapped out, such as a gene that is expressed in pancreatic stem cells that differentiates these cells into hormone-producing cells, such as those cells that produce and secrete insulin. The goal of these investigations is to determine the necessary sequence of genetic events that must be triggered in a stem cell to induce that cell to differentiate into a viable pancreatic islet cell, and ultimately to use this knowledge to treat patients with DMI. The scientific director of the Diabetes Research Institute is Camillo Ricordi, M.D., and the director of stem cell development for translational research at this institute is Juan Dominguez-Bendala, Ph.D.
