Good news for people suffering from genetic diseases and for those who could be helped with stem cell therapies. This week, Stanford announced the creation of the Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine, a new center that aims to bring life-changing advances to millions of patients.
"The Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine is going to be a major force in the precision health revolution," said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, in a press release. "Our hope is that stem cell and gene-based therapeutics will enable Stanford Medicine to not just manage illness but cure it decisively and keep people healthy over a lifetime."
The center plans to tap the rich vein of stem cell and gene therapy research underway at Stanford. These techniques pinpoint problems causing disease and introduce functional copies of genes or cells to replace malfunctioning ones. It's exciting work with the potential to make real changes in patient lives and Stanford -- with its deep strengths in research and clinical care -- is poised to lead.
The release explains:
Housed within the Department of Pediatrics, the new center will be directed by renowned clinician and scientist Maria Grazia Roncarolo, MD, the George D. Smith Professor in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, and professor of pediatrics and of medicine.
'It is a privilege to lead the center and to leverage my previous experience to build Stanford's preeminence in stem cell and gene therapies,' said Roncarolo, who is also chief of pediatric stem cell transplantation and regenerative medicine, co-director of the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases and co-director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. 'Stanford Medicine's unique environment brings together scientific discovery, translational medicine and clinical treatment. We will accelerate Stanford's fundamental discoveries toward novel stem cell and gene therapies to transform the field and to bring cures to hundreds of diseases affecting millions of children worldwide.'
Previously: Stanford scientists describe stem-cell and gene-therapy advances in scientific symposium
Photo of Maria Grazia Roncarolo by Norbert von der Groeben
