Horizons Fall 2016

28 NSU HORIZONS NSU Cell Therapy Institute, with leading medical scientists from Sweden’s world-renowned Karolinska Institutet, is investigating how cells can be modified to prevent and treat cancer, along with stem cell research on regenerating damaged heart muscles. Richard Jove, Ph.D., heads up the NSU Cell Therapy Institute, which maintains a partnership with collabora- tors from the Karolinska Institutet. This prestigious Swedish university is globally recognized for its Nobel Assembly, which annually awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Leading members of the Karolinska faculty serve as visiting professors at NSU and have established labs in the CCR, said Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and former dean of research at Karolinska. “By collaborating closely, we can make greater and faster progress in advancing new and better approaches to using cell-based therapies to eradicate disease,” he added. Shannon Murray, Ph.D., assistant professor at the institute, said that not only does Karolinska pioneer cutting-edge research, but that some of the most prominent researchers in the field of immunology are working with her on her own studies. She is working with experts from the Swedish university in the specialized field of cancer immunotherapy. “My research is highly empowered by having these collaborators,” she pointed out. Working with his Karolinska counterparts on stem cell research to repair damaged cardiovascular tissues in heart-failure patients is Vladimir Beljanski, Ph.D., assist- ant professor. Additionally, Beljanski is in discussions with researchers at the NSU Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography about discoveries they had made with marine organisms that may help him further his stem cell research. Also working closely with Karolinska colleagues, who are leading the field of cancer immunotherapy with genetically modified immune cells, is Adil Duru, Ph.D., assistant professor. These immune cells, called natural killer cells, are being reprogrammed to target cancer cells wherever they may be hiding in the body. “This highly collaborative research with Karolinska medical scientists is emblematic of the CCR vision and will help transform the future practice of medicine,” Jove pointed out. Continued from page 25