Top liver cell transplant surgeon and stem cell researcher, Dr. Ira Fox, has been recruited as the director of the new Center for Innovative Pediatric Regenerative Therapies in Pittsburgh.
The center will further elevate the region’s standing as a premier organ transplantation center, offering nontraditional therapies including adult stem cell research for the treatment of organ failure, cancer and metabolic diseases. A joint program of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, the center will initially focus on liver cell dysfunction treatments.
“Clearly this is the premier liver transplant area in the world, so this was obviously a great drawing card for me professionally,” says Dr. Fox. "The collaborative atmosphere that I have already found here gives me great confidence in what we will be able to accomplish.”
Formerly the senior associate dean for research at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, Dr. Fox has spent the past decade developing ground-breaking solutions and alternative ways to regenerate damaged liver cells. He is also an expert in gene therapy and stem cell research.
A native of Omaha, Neb., Dr. Fox received his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is also an associate member of UPMC’s Starzl Transplantation Institute.
To receive Pop City every week, click
here.
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Dr. Ira Fox, Center for Innovative Pediatric Regenerative Therapies
Image courtesy UPMC