Yearly Archives: 2015


New test helps guide treatment for bone marrow transplant patients with graft vs. host disease

Innovative scoring system uses 'Ann Arbor GVHD score' to better predict how patients will respond, minimize side effects

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - A new test can guide treatment for patients with graft versus host disease (GVHD), an often life-threatening complication of bone marrow and stem cell transplants, according to research from the University of Michigan published in Lancet Haematology this month.

Patients with fatal blood cancers like leukemia often need bone marrow or stem cell transplants to survive. But one of the most common and serious side effects that patients face is graft vs. host disease: when a patient's new immune system from the transplant (the graft) attacks the patient's healthy tissue (the host).

Most GVHD starts out as mild, but in two-thirds it eventually becomes severe. The treatment for severe GVHD is high doses of medications that knock out the immune system. But doctors have to be careful with drugs that further weaken a newly transplanted immune system, because they increase the risk for serious and life-threatening infections. Until now there has been no test to determine which cases of GVHD will become severe, so treatment is often delayed until the GVHD worsens.

The study's lead author, John Levine, M.D., of the University of Michigan's Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and his colleagues studied almost 800 patients from the US and Germany to develop and validate a new scoring system. The Ann Arbor GVHD score uses the levels of three proteins in the blood (TNFR1, ST2, and REG3a) to determine whether the patient should be treated right away or not and how intense the treatment should be. Patients with Ann Arbor 1 GVHD usually don't need treatment while patients with Ann Arbor 3 GVHD often don't respond to standard treatment and should be considered for clinical trials.

"We often have to treat all patients with GVHD alike with very high-dose steroids, because the severity of symptoms at the disease's onset don't help us predict how sick the patient will get. But this new scoring system will help identify patients that need a different approach, says Levine, who also is clinical director of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation program at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

"And it can help us with patients with lower-risk GVHD who we may be over-treating. These scores can help us find a better, more individualized fit for our patients as soon as their disease is diagnosed," says Levine, who is professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Around half of patients who get a bone marrow transplant will develop GVHD, which can be lethal if it can't be controlled.

"Our goal is to offer personalized care. Doctors have struggled with individualizing therapy for each patient, but there's been no new therapy for GVHD in more than 40 years. So this new scoring system gives us another tool to better take care of our patients," Levine says.

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New test helps guide treatment for bone marrow transplant patients with graft vs. host disease

New device allows for manipulation of differentiating stem cells

Electroporation is a powerful technique in molecular biology. By using an electrical pulse to create a temporary nanopore in a cell membrane, researchers can deliver chemicals, drugs, and DNA directly into a single cell.

But existing electroporation methods require high electric field strengths and for cells to be suspended in solution, which disrupts cellular pathways and creates a harsh environment for sensitive primary cells. This makes it nearly impossible for researchers to study the cells naturally, in a setting that encourages the cells to continue differentiating and expanding.

A Northwestern University collaboration has developed a novel microfluidic device that allows for electroporation of stem cells during differentiation, making it possible to deliver molecules during this pivotal time in a cell's life. This provides the conditions needed to study primary cells, such as neurons, opening doors for exploration of the pathogenic mechanisms of neural diseases and potentially leading to new gene therapies.

Developed by Horacio Espinosa, the James and Nancy Farley Professor of Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship at the McCormick School of Engineering, and John Kessler, the Ken and Ruth Davee Professor of Stem Cell Biology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, the localized electroporation device (LEPD) can be applied to adherent cells, which are grown on an artificial substrate as opposed to free-floating in a culture medium and are able to continue growing and differentiating.

"The ability to deliver molecules into adherent cells without disrupting differentiation is needed for biotechnology researchers to advance both fundamental knowledge and the state-of-the-art in stem cell research," Espinosa said.

"Non-destructive manipulation of cells over time and in the correct environment is a key enabling technology highly needed within the biology and medical research communities," Kessler said.

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Supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, the research is described in a paper published in the September 10 issue of Lab on a Chip, the journal of The Royal Society of Chemistry, and was also highlighted on the journal's back cover. Other authors on the paper include Wonmo Kang, Juan P. Giraldo-Vela, Shiva Nathamgari, Tammy McGuire, and Rebecca McNaughton.

The team fabricated the LEPD by employing a commonly used polymer for rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices for biological applications. It consists of circulation microchannels beneath a cell culture chamber made up of a perforated substrate and built-in electrodes. Although the main applications of the initial research examined neurons, the device is a general tool that can be used for any type of adherent cell.

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New device allows for manipulation of differentiating stem cells

New Approach, New Hope: $12M New York State Investment Will Fast-Track Innovative Roswell Park Research in Ovarian …

Buffalo, NY (PRWEB) January 14, 2015

Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) have received a prestigious grant of nearly $12 million from the New York State Stem Cell Science Program (NYSTEM) to develop new therapies for advanced ovarian cancer. The four-year, $11.9 million grant to RPCI is one of three new state awards totaling $36 million to support innovative approaches for developing stem-cell based therapies for diseases that are notoriously hard to treat. The clinical need for new treatments is dire, as advanced ovarian cancer is an aggressive and typically fatal disease.

Using an approach known as adoptive T-cell therapy, the Roswell Park team, led by Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, Chair of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology, M. Steven Piver Professor of Gynecologic Oncology and Executive Director of the Center for Immunotherapy, will take stem cells from patients blood, re-engineer them and infuse the reprogrammed cells back into those patients. Once inside the patients body, the re-engineered stem cells become a continuous, potentially lifelong source of cancer-fighting immune cells. This strategy has proven successful in preclinical studies as a way to not only eradicate existing cancer but to prevent new cancer cells from developing.

New York is home to some of the best researchers across the globe, and this funding will help ensure they can do the necessary work to grow our progress in stem cell science, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said in announcing the awards on Jan. 12. This state is proud to be a leader in the health industry, and with this funding we will continue to develop modern, world-class research programs that work to make people worldwide healthier.

The concept behind this new and novel project, which builds on past Roswell Park research, is to unite the cancer-killing power of T cells with the long-term regenerative power of adult stem cells. By enlisting both killer CD8+ T cells and helper CD4+ T cells, the researchers will be able to turn a patients own, reprogrammed stem cells into immune cells armed with the ability to recognize and kill cancer cells.

This project represents a potentially paradigm-shifting approach in the use of immunotherapy to treat cancer, because we will be generating billions of these antitumor effector cells to continually control existing tumors and minimize the chance of relapse, said Dr. Odunsi, who is also Co-Leader of Roswell Parks Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program and a Professor of Gynecology & Obstetrics at the University at Buffalo (UB). Reprograming adult hematopoietic stem cells for sustained attack against ovarian cancer is, to our knowledge, a completely new approach.

Like much previous RPCI research on immune therapies to combat ovarian cancer, this new project targets the NY-ESO-1 antigen, which is expressed in cancer cells but not in most normal body tissues. Because this protein is so widely expressed by various malignant tumors, the approach may have application in the treatment of other cancers as well.

The project will encompass both preclinical work and an early-phase clinical research study in patients with ovarian cancer, and will take advantage of three resources housed within the RPCI Center for Immunotherapy:

Roswell Park faculty members Thinle Chodon, MD, PhD, and Takemasa Tsuji, PhD, are also among Dr. Odunsis co-investigators, as are Dr. Richard Bankert, VMD, PhD, from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University at Buffalo and Leonard Shultz, PhD, from The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine.

This Roswell Park-developed, Roswell Park-led initiative is just the latest example of the ingenuity Dr. Odunsi and his team bring to the pressing challenge of how to develop better and more effective therapies for cancer, said Candace Johnson, PhD, President & CEO and Cancer Center Director at Roswell Park. We are enormously grateful for the leadership Gov. Cuomo and NYSTEM have shown in dedicating these funds strategically to address high-priority medical issues, and to the numerous individual and corporate donors whose contributions to the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation enabled the laboratory advances that Dr. Odunsi and his team will now be able to bring to patients.

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New Approach, New Hope: $12M New York State Investment Will Fast-Track Innovative Roswell Park Research in Ovarian ...

Global Stem Cells Group to Move Headquarters to Larger Miami Lakes Office Complex

MIAMI (PRWEB) January 14, 2015

Citing fast-paced growth and the need for more space to accommodate its expanding operations, Global Stem Cells Group CEO Benito Novas has announced plans to move the organizations headquarters from Sunrise, Florida to the Miami Lakes Corporate Center. The new location more than doubles the space for the international stem cell and regenerative medicine company's corporate offices.

Since opening in 2012 under the Regenestem brand, Global Stem Cells Group and its six operating companies have grown exponentially, establishing partnerships with stem cell clinics, hospitals, researchers and physicians in the Philippines, South America and Europe.

The new Global Stem Cells Group facility provides state-of-the-art space for our entire team to drive innovation through our research and development initiatives, and support partnering activities with our biotechnology products and education programs, Novas says. We now have the space to continue the fast-paced growth of our companies and advance the development of new stem cell and regenerative medicine technologies that will benefit patients worldwide.

The new corporate headquarters, scheduled to open January 15, 2015, are located in the Miami Lakes Corporate Center, 14750 NW 77th Court, Suite 304 Miami Lakes, FL 33016.

For more information visit the Global Stem Cells website, email bnovas(at)regenestem(dot)com, or call 305-224-1858.

About the Global Stem Cells Group:

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions.

With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

Global Stem Cells Groups corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCGs six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.

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Global Stem Cells Group to Move Headquarters to Larger Miami Lakes Office Complex

Parkinson's stem cell trial approaches

A therapy for Parkinson's disease from Carlsbad's International Stem Cell Corp. is expected to get approval for testing in Australia as soon as February, the company said this week.

The publicly traded company has grown neural stem cells, which can mature into cells making the neurotransmitter dopamine, deficient in Parkinson's. The company plans to implant these stem cells into the the brains of Parkinson's patients, restoring dopamine production and normal movement in the patients.

If approved, the trial will be the first test of therapy with the company's cells, derived from unfertilized, or parthenogenetic human egg cells. The cells, which in theory can produce nearly all types of cells found in the body, are grown into neural stem cells. These cells will be implanted and mature in place.

Parthenogenetic cells have much the same potential as embryonic stem cells without the ethical objections some have, says International Stem Cell, which has 38 employees. In addition, these parthenogenetic stem cells are less likely to provoke an immune reaction, the company says.

International Stem Cell Corp. chose Australia for its first trial because its regulatory agency is more "interactive" than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Simon Craw, executive vice president for business development. The FDA is inclined to give yes-or-no answers for proposed cell-based treatments, Craw said. In addition, patient recruitment takes place more slowly, which delays trial completion. The FDA does this for safety reasons.

Simon Craw / International Stem Cell Corp.

The Australian agency helps guide companies through the application process, Craw said in an interview Wednesday at Biotech Showcase, an annual life science conference in San Francisco. Craw also gave a company presentation on Tuesday at the conference.

"We're in the process of submitting the (application)," to Australian regulators, Craw said. "We're going back and forth with them right now. We expect to hear back from them by the end of February."

The trial will primarily assess safety, but also look for evidence of efficacy, Craw said.

The trial will take place at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Craw said. The hospital is headquartered in Parkville, in the state of Victoria. The principal investigator, Dr. Andrew Evans, will recruit patients from his own practice.

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Parkinson's stem cell trial approaches

City man who ran stem-cell trial for MS patients fabricated credentials, overstated results

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Winnipeg researcher Doug Broeska previously ran a lumber business. (REGENETEK.COM)

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Regenetek is located on Chevrier Boulevard, but its stem-cell study is being conducted at a hospital in India. The study is not listed on any clinical-trial registry. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS )

The hope of dancing at her sons summertime wedding led Sharon Nordstrom to pay $38,000 for a treatment she hoped would keep her multiple-sclerosis symptoms at bay.

That money paid for what she hoped would be a life-changing stem-cell procedure at a hospital in Pune, India. It was part of what she, and nearly 70 other patients from Manitoba and from as far away as Australia, believed was a clinical study helmed by a brilliant Winnipeg medical researcher with a PhD, who said the procedure could stop MS in its tracks.

Soon after her return in May, Nordstrom began to uncover troubling facts. Doug Broeska, whom patients reverently call "Dr. Doug," has no recognized medical credentials. Regenetek Research, his company based out of a spartan office on Chevrier Boulevard, boasted credentials and positive medical results that didnt add up. Patients who were once ardent supporters were attacked as saboteurs or shills for "Big Pharma" and threatened with removal from the study after they asked questions.

A Free Press investigation has found Broeska fabricated his credentials, including his PhD, and overstated the effects of the stem-cell treatment, for which he often charged desperately ill people $45,000. Four patients spoke to the Free Press on the record, saying they got no benefit from the treatment, got none of the followup common in clinical trials such as MRIs or physical acuity tests and believe they are victims of fraud.

Patients, doctors in India and now Canadian officials are questioning the claims of Winnipeg researcher Doug Broeska and his $45,000 stem-cell therapy for MS sufferers.

At least two of Regeneteks former patients have complained to the RCMP, and sources say the Canada Revenue Agency is investigating, though CRA officials would not confirm that. Last week, Regeneteks website, Broeskas LinkedIn page and a "patient-run" Facebook group were taken down.

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City man who ran stem-cell trial for MS patients fabricated credentials, overstated results

Lung Institute to Open New Clinic in Scottsdale in February 2015

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) January 13, 2015

In February 2015, the Lung Institute will open a new clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. This expansion marks its third location in the country. With stem cell treatment centers already in Tampa and Nashville, the Lung Institute has made positive impacts in the lives of their patients and the surrounding communities.

The Lung Institute is committed to providing patients with an effective way to treat pulmonary conditions, rather than just manage their symptoms, which results in an improvement in their overall quality of life. Their application of innovative technology combined with advanced stem cell treatments enables them to carry out their mission and successfully provide world-class care to their patients who visit the Lung Institute from across the globe.

Medical Director, Dr. Burton Feinerman, a world-renowned physician and expert in the field of regenerative medicine, has led the Lung Institute in performing hundreds of minimally invasive, outpatient stem cell treatments for a variety of debilitating lung diseases. The Lung Institute treats conditions such as COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and interstitial lung disease.

The addition of this treatment center will create jobs in the medical, sales, and administrative industries. Additionally, local businesses, and the medical tourism industry of the Scottsdale area will benefit, as most patients travel for treatment. By utilizing their full-service patient coordinator services, The Lung Institute plans to actively promote all that Scottsdale has to offer as an ancillary benefit to obtaining advanced treatment for lung disease.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at the new facility with the medical staff, Lung Institute corporate team, community representatives, and members of the Scottsdale and Phoenix Chambers of Commerce in attendance. The new facility is located at 8377 East Hartford Drive in Scottsdale, and will be open for treatment beginning on February 9, 2015.

We are very excited to join the vibrant Scottsdale community and provide even greater access to convenient care for our patients, says Lynne Flaherty, Executive Vice President of the Lung Institute. Through stem cell therapy, we hope to offer patients an alternative method to treat their lung disease while enjoying an exceptional local environment.

About the Lung Institute At the Lung Institute, we are changing the lives of hundreds of people across the nation through the innovative technology of regenerative medicine. We are committed to providing patients a more effective way to address pulmonary conditions and improve quality of life. Our physicians, through their designated practices, have gained worldwide recognition for the successful application of revolutionary minimally invasive stem cell therapies. With over a century of combined medical experience, our doctors have established a patient experience designed with the highest concern for patient safety and quality of care. For more information, visit our website at LungInstitute.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or call us today at (855) 313-1149.

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Lung Institute to Open New Clinic in Scottsdale in February 2015

The Future of Stem Cells: Opportunities at the Cutting Edge of Science

Stem cell technology representsone of the most fascinating and controversial medical advances of the past several decades. By now the enormous controversy which surrounded the use of federal funds to conduct scientific research on human stem cells during the George W. Bush administration has largely blown over. Five years have passed since President Obama lifted federal funding restrictions, and amazing progress has already been made in the field.

One can make a good case for stem cells being the most fascinating and versatile cells in the human body. This is precisely due to their stem role. In their most basic form, theyre capable of both replicating themselves an unlimited number of times and differentiating themselvesinto a huge number of other cell types. Muscle cells, brain cells, organ cells, and many others can all be created from stem cells. If youre interested, the NIH has an awesome introductionon stem cells on their website.

The question which has arisen since the discovery of thisamazing cell type has been how to harness their power and versatility. This is the primary focus of research today: how can we precisely control stem cells to perform whatever tasks we need them to do? Of course, other important issues, such as figuring out thebest places from which to harvest stem cells,exist.

Because of their role in the body, the number of potential applications for stem cells are truly stunning. From building custom cell clusters with 3D printers to curing a variety of diseases through bone marrow transplants, growingorgans for transplants, andeven growing edible meat, research is progressing at a frantic pace.

There are two particular areas of research which seem to hold the greatest promise at this point. The first is organs. Anyone who has ever been involved in an organ transplant knows how incredibly complex and difficult the process is. But difficulties like finding the right donor, preserving the organ, and finding enough supply to meet the incredible demand could all be overcome if we could simply use stem cells to grow a custom organ for each transplant from scratch.

Besides this perhaps science-fiction-sounding process of growing organs, theres also incredible excitement surrounding the potential of bone marrow transplants to cure diseases like HIVand Leukemia. This is done by implanting stem cells containing genetic mutations which confer immunity to a variety of diseases into a patients bone marrow, where they can begin naturally replicating and affecting the immune system.

Thisprocedurealso covers transplants designed simply to reintroduce healthy stem cells to help tackle a wider variety of ailments. Often, referred to as regenerative medicine as itinvolves stimulating the bodys preexisting repair mechanisms to help the healing process,thisprocedurealso offer great promise.

Naturally, the speed at which advances are being made in the field has led to problems as well. One recent well-publicized study which seemed to point to the possibility of achieving stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (essentially demonstrating a new type of stem cells) is now believedto have beenfraudulent.

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The Future of Stem Cells: Opportunities at the Cutting Edge of Science

Renowned professor's book addresses stem cell biology & regenerative medicine

IMAGE:This is the cover for Stem Cells, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. view more

Credit: World Scientific, 2015

In his latest book published by World Scientific, Professor David Warburton from The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California presents a collection of essays on the current state of the regenerative medicine and stem cell research field.

Entitled Stem Cells, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, this up-to-date compendium surveys current issues in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Topics range from key concepts in regenerative medicine to the newest progenitor cell therapies for organ systems, to advice on how to set up a pluripotent stem cell laboratory.

Overviews of the most recent progress in stem cell research describe work that is in the pre-clinical pipeline from scientists working at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and colleagues around the world.

"The book addresses some of the big questions faced by researchers in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine," said Professor Warburton. "Those of us working in this field in California are positively impacted by the critical funding provided by the citizens of the state through the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. I believe this book shows that the hope behind CIRM - the hope that stem cells can really revolutionize medicine and human health - is fully justified."

A global collection of essays from collaborating investigators in Australia, Brazil, Iran, Taiwan and the United Kingdom, as well as across the United States. This book will describe diverse regenerative medicine solutions for airways, cancer, craniofacial structures, intestine, heart, kidney, liver, lung and nervous system. These advances are placed in the context of the overall field, providing an investigator-level overview which will be accessible to the educated scientific generalist as well as a college-educated readership, scientific writers, educators and professionals of all kinds.

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Professor Warburton's research is supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the National Institutes of Health: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Fogarty International Center, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, The Pasadena Guild of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, The Santa Anita Foundation, The Webb Foundation, The Garland Foundation and anonymous venture philanthropy.

The book retails for US$155/ 102 (hardcover). More information on the book can be found at http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/9212.

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Renowned professor's book addresses stem cell biology & regenerative medicine

Peter S. Kim Named the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Biochemistry at Stanford

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Newswise January 13, 2015 New York, NY Peter S. Kim has been named the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Biochemistry at Stanford University School of Medicine. Established in 1994, Ludwig professorships have since been awarded to a total of 15 leading scientists at academic institutions affiliated with the six U.S.-based Ludwig Centers. With this appointment Kim also becomes a member of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine at Stanford.

Kims lab focuses on the mechanisms by which viral membranes fuse with cell membranes, which has to happen for the virus to invade its target cell. His team also studies how that process might be disrupted by small molecules and antibodies. Kims lab is, for example, using such studies to engineer antigens for a vaccine that might elicit antibodies that block a key step in HIVs invasion of its target cell. The strategies that he is developing could be applied to design new preventive and therapeutic vaccines for cancers. His lab is also developing methods to identify small molecules that bind tightly and very specifically to proteins that have so far proved resistant to targeting by typical drug-like molecules.

Kim joined Stanford University in February 2014 after a ten-year tenure as president of Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co., Inc. During this time he oversaw the development and FDA approval of Gardasil, the worlds first vaccine against HPV, the causative agent of cervical cancer. Kim began his academic career as a professor in the biology department at MIT, where he ultimately served as associate head. During his 16 years at MIT Kim was also an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

We are very happy, and fortunate, to have Peter Kim back here at Stanford, where he began his graduate training, said Irv Weissman, director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine at Stanford. Peter brings with him rare experience and new strategies for developing preventive tools and therapiesincluding immunotherapiesfor viral infections that cause, allow and/or infect cancers. His goals are in line with our mission, and his approaches complement our own efforts to recruit the immune system to attack cancer cells.

Kim has received numerous awards for his research and holds leadership positions at several academic and scientific institutions. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He serves on the Scientific Review Board of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the External Scientific Advisory Board of the Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, the Board of Scientific Governors of the Scripps Research Institute and the Scientific Advisory Working Group of the Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, NIH.

Kim joins four other Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professors at Stanford: Lucy Shapiro, Irving Weissman, Sanjiv Sam Gambhir and Roeland Nusse.

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About Ludwig Cancer Research Ludwig Cancer Research is an international collaborative network of acclaimed scientists that has pioneered cancer discoveries for more than 40 years. Ludwig combines basic research with the ability to translate its discoveries and conduct clinical trials to accelerate the development of new cancer diagnostics and therapies. Since 1971, Ludwig has invested more than $2.5 billion in life-changing cancer research through the not-for-profit Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the six U.S.-based Ludwig Centers.

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Peter S. Kim Named the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Biochemistry at Stanford