NRSA Institutional Postdoctoral Training Grant (T32) at the
University of Louisville
“Current Trends in Stem Cell Therapies”.
(2017 – 2022)

 PDs/PIs: Mariusz Ratajczak (Contact), M.D., Ph.D., D.Sci. / Sham S. Kakar, Ph.D., MBA

 Regenerative medicine has become one of the most important scientific subjects and includes i) the physiology of tissue rejuvenation, ii) organ regeneration after injury and iii) the regulation of lifespan. Therefore, one of the most important educational challenges in this training program, is to train young investigators to become oriented and properly qualified stem cell scientists who can innovate and push forward these areas of research and explore novel translational applications. The main scientific focus of this “Current Trends in Stem Cell Therapies” training program is on stem cells isolated from adult tissues as well as on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated in the lab from postnatal tissues.

 Taking the advantage of the strength of stem cell research at University of Louisville (UofL), the post-doctoral fellows will be involved in conceptual and laboratory work aimed at the optimization of i) isolation of versatile populations of stem cells from adult issues, ii) their ex vivo expansion alone or in combination with synthetic scaffolds iii) studies on the role of paracrine-related effects of stem cells in regeneration, with special emphasis on biological effects of extracellular microvesicles (ExMV), iv) strategies for stem cell delivery to damaged organs including to understand better mechanism orchestrating their homing and engraftment. These goals will be achieved with a multidisciplinary approach involving participating departments, centers, institutes, schools, and members of the training faculty at the UofL. This objective will be achieved by strong program and leadership with extensive experience in successful administration of the T32 training program; motivated and engaged faculty mentors selected from various academic units at UofL, and from various scientific disciplines related to stem cell biology, regenerative medicine; a well-designed and executed training program; an exceptional research and clinical environment with cutting-edge facilities; and scientific programs with national/international reputations for breakthrough discoveries in basic and clinical stem cell research.

Faculty Members at T32 Training Grant

For detail information and availability of post-doctoral position, please contact:

Mariusz Z. Ratajczak
Professor
Department of Medicine, Brown Cancer Center
mzrata01@exchange.louisville.edu

Sham S. Kakar, Ph.D., MBA
Professor
Department of Physiology, Brown Cancer Center
sskaka01@louisville.edu