BME Seminar Series: Dr. Jianyi Zhang, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Jianyi (Jay) Zhang, MD, PhD
Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering
T. Michael and Gillian Goodrich Endowed Chair of Engineering Leadership
Professor of Medicine, of Engineering
School of Medicine, School of Engineering
UAB | The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Abstract:

"Remuscularization of injured ventricle from within and outside"

Transplantation of engineered myocardial tissue patch constructs with either hiPSC derived cardiac progenitor cells or cell-products for cardiac repair, is emerged as an exciting treatment option for post infarction LV remodeling. Beneficial effects may be due to direct remuscularization from endogenous or exogenous mechanisms, or paracrine mechanism leading to immune-modulation, mobilization and/or activation of endogenous regeneration mechanisms with subsequent promotion of neovascularization, myocyte re-enter the cell-cycle, or inhibition of apoptosis, and thus attenuation of LV dilatation progression.

Participants will be able to discuss and explain the current understanding the major roadblocks in cardiac cell therapy, and the potential approaches to overcome these problems.  One of the major objectives is to make the cell and cell products become the treatment options in the future.  Participants will also share their knowledge and interests in pursuing the novel applications in this emerging field of tissue engineering, cell types, and cell-products therapy.

Bio: 

Professor Jianyi “Jay” Zhang, MD, PhD, is an international leader in myocardial bioenergetics, biomaterials, and pluripotent stem cells for cardiac repair. He is tenured Professor of Medicine and of Engineering; T. Michael and Gillian Goodrich Endowed Chair of Engineering Leadership; and the Chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME), a joint department of the School of Medicine and School of Engineering, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He came to UAB in October 2015 after he was chosen in a national search to lead the UAB BME department from the University of Minnesota, where he was the Engdahl Family Foundation Chair in Cardiovascular Regenerative Therapies, in addition to being a tenured professor of medicine, of biomedical engineering, of electrical engineering, and computer engineering. Among his recent honours and awards is the prestigious George E. Brown Memorial Lectureship for the 2014 AHA Scientific Sessions. He is also the recipient of an Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association (1996) and a First Award from the National Institutes of Health (1993). https://www.uab.edu/engineering/bme/people/faculty/jianyi-jay-zhang

Zhang lab has been consistent funded by NIH NHLBI RO1s since 1993. Zhang lab has published more than 180 original peer reviewed manuscript in the most prominent scientific journals in cardiovascular field.  Complete List of Published Work in MyBibliography:  www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/jianyi.zhang.1/bibliography/40641157/public/?sort=date&direction=descending