Anthony Atala, M.D. is just the type of person we're thinking about when we say: "North Carolina is the State of Minds."
His current work is at the forefront of scientific knowledge, focusing on growing new human cells, tissues and organs to repair or replace tissues or organs damaged by age, cancer, trauma or abnormal development. The tissues involved include kidney, blood vessels, cartilage, muscle, bladder, pancreas and others.
Atala believes that a multidisciplinary approach is the best way to put “cutting edge technology to work for the people who need it as soon as possible.” Thanks to Dr. Atala and the entrepreneurial spirit of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the impossible is becoming possible, giving hope to future generations, while creating new industries and new jobs for North Carolinians.
Dr. Atala has an impressive résumé. He’s led or served on several national professional and government committees, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) working group on Cells and Developmental Biology and the NIH Bioengineering Consortium. He heads a team of over 100 physicians and researchers.
Ten applications of technologies developed in Dr. Atala's laboratory have been used clinically. And, as if that wasn’t enough, he has also edited seven books, including Tissue Engineering and Methods of Tissue Engineering (Academic Press), and has published more than 200 journal articles or book chapters, more than 250 abstracts and has applied for or received over 200 national and international patents.
North Carolina is extremely lucky to have such a brilliant mind, but luck may not be all there is to it.
When deciding to move from Boston in 2004, Dr. Atala saw that North Carolina “seemed really committed to life sciences, academically and in the public and private sectors.” While the doctor stresses, “we are many years from this technology being widely available,” there have been breakthrough successes like the transplant of a bladder engineered from patients’ own cells. The mutually beneficial relationship between Dr. Atala and North Carolina is helping the state and its people lead an industry that could be worth more than half a trillion dollars annually.
Taking the impossible and making it possible. It’s what happens in North Carolina, the State of Minds. Dr. Atala is just a slice of the knowledge-based talent the state has to offer in the life sciences. Talent that is turning heads, changing industries and changing the world for the better.
Professional Titles:
- W.H. Boyce Professor and Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
- Chair of the Department of Urology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine
- Surgeon (pediatric urology)
- Researcher (regenerative medicine and tissue engineering)
Professional Journal Editorships:
- Stem Cells and Development
- Current Stem Cell Research and Therapy
- Regenerative Medicine
- Tissue Engineering
- Stem Cell Therapy
- The Journal of Rejuvenation Research
- Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy
- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
- Biomedical Materials
- The Scientific World: Tissue Engineering, and Cell Biology
- Investigative Urology (Journal of Urology), Urology
- Current Reviews in Urology
- Current Opinion in Urology
- BioMed Central—Urology
- Journal of Laparoendoscopic and Advanced Surgical Techniques: Endosurgery and Innovative Techniques
Professional Memberships:
- Governor, and Continental Chair of the North America Chapter of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (founding member)
- Scientific Advisory Board of the Regenerate International Conference
Honors and Awards:
- Christopher Columbus Foundation Award bestowed on a living American who is currently working on a discovery that will significantly affect society
- Gold Cystoscope Award for contributions to his field
- Named Medical Treatments Leader of the Year by Scientific American for his contributions to the fields of cell, tissue and organ regeneration
- Named one of the “Best and Brightest,” by Esquire magazine
- Named one of the 50 people who “will change how we work and live over the next 10 years” by Fast Company magazine
- Grand Award from Popular Science for What is Best from 2006
- Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics for his work in organ regeneration
- Discover Magazine`s Number 1 Top Science Story of the Year in the field of medicine
- A Time magazine poll ranked Dr. Atala as the 56th most influential person of the year in 2007
Organization Spotlight:
Wake Forest University Institute for Regenerative Medicine
The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is an international leader in the translation of scientific discovery to clinical therapies. The Institute applies the principles of regenerative medicine to treat human diseases and disabilities.
Their mission is to improve patient care by continuing to develop and disseminate novel clinical therapies for the functional repair and replacement of diseased tissues and organs.
Website: The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine