News

July 2, 2020

New call center to answer questions, educate, and support the dialysis and transplant community. 

(LOS ANGELES) –

The Transplant Research and Education Center (TREC), housed at the Terasaki Research Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI), launched the COVID-19 Kidney / Transplant Listening & Resource Center (KTLRC) on June 17, 2020. The KTLRC is a vital new service created in direct response to the unique and unmet needs of the dialysis and organ transplant community during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The KTLRC is a toll-free call center that allows patients, their loved ones, and caregivers to connect with our experienced education team to share their questions, concerns, and receive answers, education, and referrals for additional resources.  

The KTLRC can be reached at: 

1-800-830-0484 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

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June 15, 2020

Researchers take a step closer to 3D printing living tissues in patients

(LOS ANGELES) – In the TV series Westworld, human body parts are built on robotic frames using 3D printers.  While still far from this scenario, 3D printers are being increasingly used in medicine.  For example, 3D printing can be used to produce parts of the body such as orthopedic joints and prosthetics, as well as portions of bone, skin and blood vessels.  However, the majority of these tissues are created in an apparatus outside of the body and surgically implanted.  Such a procedure may involve making large surgical incisions, posing the added risk of infection and increased recovery time for the patient.  And since there is a time lapse between when the tissue is created and when it is implanted in the patient, further complications may occur.  To prevent these complications, a team of scientists have developed a technology to print tissues directly in the body.

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June 9, 2020

Small and minimally invasive “Detachable Microneedle Depots” effectively deliver stem cells for localized MSC therapy of skin disorders

(LOS ANGELES) — Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent in that they naturally replenish the cell types that build our bone, cartilage and adipose tissues. However, their much broader regenerative potential, based on their capacity to migrate and engraft in injured tissues and secrete factors that enhance the formation of new blood vessels, suppress inflammation and cell death, and promote healing, makes them exquisite candidates for cell-based therapies for diseases as varied as cardiovascular, liver, bone and cartilage diseases, lung and spinal cord injuries, autoimmune diseases and even cancer and skin lesions.

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May 27, 2020

Researchers at the Terasaki Institute enhance tool for extraction of samples used in monitoring patient health

(LOS ANGELES) – The interstitial fluid is a major component of the liquid environment in the body and fills the spaces between the body’s cells.  In contrast, blood circulates only within the circulatory vessels of the body and is composed of blood cells and the liquid part of the blood, plasma.  Both fluids contain special components called biomarkers, which are valuable indicators of bodily health.  These biomarkers include various types of molecules such as proteins, hormones or DNA, and can also include drugs and metabolites.

When monitoring patient health, the standard source for the measurement of biomarkers is blood.  Samples are drawn by venous puncture, most often from the forearm or from the veins in the hand.  Occasionally there are problems in drawing blood when the veins are subject to collapse, or when they are very small or difficult to locate.  Still other problems may occur when the veins “roll” or move from side to side.  And as in any procedure that involves a wound to the skin, there is always the risk of infection that is introduced.  The problems are compounded when patients are required to submit multiple samples over time.

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