Anthony Atala, M.D., is the Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Chair of the Department of Urology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in the state of North Carolina in the United States.[1] Regenerative medicine is "a practice that aims to refurbish diseased or damaged tissue using the body's own healthy cells."[2] Wake Forest University School of Medicine, along with North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Physicians, is part of the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center system. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells. ...

Atala was born in Peru in 1958,[3] grew up in Boca Raton, Florida, and comes from a large family.[4]. Atala attended the University of Miami and has an undergraduate degree in Psychology.[5] He went to medical school at the University of Louisville where he also completed his residency in urology. He was a fellow at the Harvard Medical School affiliated Boston Children's Hospital from 1990-1992 where he trained under world renowned pediatric urologic surgeons Alan Retik and Hardy Hendren. He served as the Director of the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Cellular Therapeutics at the Harvard Children's Hospital.[6] His work there involved growing human tissues and organs to replace those damaged by disease or defects. This work became important due to shortages in the organ-donor program.[7] The University of Miami (also known as UM or just The U) is a private university founded in 1925 with its main campus in the city of Coral Gables in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States. ... The University of Louisville (also known as U of L) is a public, state-supported university located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. ... Shield of Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. ...

Dr. Atala continued his work in Tissue engineering and Printable organs[8] at Wake Forest University in 2004.[9] Dr. Atala led the team that developed the first lab-grown organ, a bladder, to be implanted into a human.[10] [11] Tissue engineering is the use of a combination of cells, engineering materials, and suitable biochemical factors to improve or replace biological functions. ...

Aside from his ground breaking research, Dr. Atala is also tends to clinical and administrative responsibilities. He operates regularly and runs a busy clinic at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital, the teaching hospital of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He is also in charge of an rapidly growing urology department and has been successful in recruiting other renowned faculty to Wake Forest such as Gopal Badlani and Gordon McLorie. Wake Forest University School of Medicine, along with North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Physicians, is part of the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center system. ...

Along with Harvard University researchers and as described in the journal Nature Biotechnology[12], he has announced that stem cells with enormous potential can be harvested from the amniotic fluid of pregnant women. These stems cells are pluripotent, meaning they can be manipulated to differentiate into various types of mature cells that make up nerve, muscle, bone, and other tissues while avoiding the problems of tumor formation and ethical concerns that are associated with embryonic stem cells.[13] Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) , is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... The amniotic sac is a tough but thin transparent pair of membranes which holds a developing embryo (and later fetus) until shortly before birth. ... In cell biology, a pluripotent cell is one able to differentiate into many cell types. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells. ...

With respect to the amniotic stem cells, Dr. Atala said the following:

"The cells come from the foetus, which breathes and sucks in, then excretes, the amniotic fluid throughout pregnancy;"

"Like embryonic stem cells, they appear to thrive in lab dishes for years, while normal cells, called somatic cells, die after a time ;"

"They are easier to grow than human embryonic stem cells. And, unlike embryonic stem cells, they do not form a type of benign tumour called a teratoma;" and

"A bank with 100,000 specimens of the amniotic stem cells theoretically could supply 99 per cent of the US population with perfect genetic matches for transplants."[14]

Dr. Atala's work was seized on by opponents of the Embryonic Stem Cell Research Bill[15] (a part of the 100-Hour Plan of the Democratic Party in the 110th United States Congress) as a more moral alternative. He wrote a letter saying, inter alia, "Some may be interpreting my research as a substitute for the need to pursue other forms of regenerative medicine therapies, such as those involving embryonic stem cells. I disagree with that assertion." [16] The 100-Hour Plan is a United States Democratic Party political strategy detailing the actions the party will pursue upon assuming leadership of the 110th Congress on January 4, 2007. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Republican Party. ... The 110th United States Congress is the present session of the Legislature of the United States federal government. ...

External links

• Atala Bio Web Page
• Interview
• NYT Article
• The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Peer-reviewed journals

• Isolation of amniotic stem cell lines with potential for therapy