UC Davis stem cell researcher awarded funding for novel approach to wound repair

UC Davis stem cell researcher awarded funding for novel approach to wound repair
Created: 08/22/2009 06:27:07 AM PDT

Min Zhao, professor of dermatology and an expert in cell migration, has been awarded a three-year, $1 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

The award to Zhao was part of a $16 million infusion from the state's stem cell agency this week to support research that will lead to advances in understanding the basic mechanisms underlying stem cell biology and cellular differentiation.

The funding supports Zhao's research developing scientific techniques using electric fields to direct the migration of human stem cells for the repair of wounds and regeneration of damaged tissues. Currently, physicians use electric fields for deep brain stimulation to control seizures and for pain management. They represent a novel approach in the effort to turn stem cells into cures.

"Studying the migration of stem cells toward electrical gradients is very cutting edge and will have important implications in wound repair," said Jan Nolta, director of the stem cell program at UC Davis and a co-investigator on the grant with Zhao. "It is very exciting work that could potentially help patients with burn injuries and other conditions such as non-healing ulcers. UC Davis is committed to bringing this important basic science research from the bench to the patient's bedside rapidly."

One of the barriers to stem cell therapies is that researchers cannot precisely target or consistently integrate transplanted stem cells with the damaged tissues of an injury site.
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Studies have shown that electric fields can guide the migration and division of certain types of stem cells. Zhao and his colleagues think the same electric fields could produce an effective signal for directing neural stem cells and the progeny of human embryonic stem cells, as well as for ensuring that the cells successfully interact and fully connect with sites of tissue damage.

The next step is to better understand the electrical controls required to guide stem cells to a specific location in the body. If successful, the new techniques will help overcome one of the biggest road blocks in stem cell therapies.

"My focus is to explore the feasibility of using electric signals to direct stem cells to migrate toward diseased tissues, with the goal of being able to restore their structure and function," said Zhao. "The influence of electric fields on stem cells is not well understood and has not been fully studied. My hope is that this investigation will provide a critical step in developing safe and successful techniques for guiding stem cells directly to the appropriate injury sites in patients."