| Doris A. Taylor, Ph.D., directs the Center for Cardiovascular Repair at the University of Minnesota. Her academic appointment is as the Medtronic Bakken Professor of Integrative Biology and Physiology and of Medicine. Taylor's research group is committed to moving cell, gene, and tissue-engineering-based therapies safely and effectively from bench to bedside, while at the same time preparing students and fellows to compete at an international level in the field of cardiac and vascular repair and regeneration. Their goal is two-fold: creation of cutting edge therapies for cardiac and vascular disease and the education of scientists and physicians - as well as the community - in the "treatments of tomorrow" for these diseases.Taylor continues working toward the discovery and development of novel cardiovascular therapies. Her group has discovered a number of “firsts” including
- Repair of function in an injured heart with cell therapy (1998)
- Prevention and reversal of atherosclerosis with cells (2003, 2007)
- Robot-based cell delivery in heart (in animals) (2007)
- Finding new stem cells in adult heart that can generate blood vessels and both left and right ventricular cardiocytes (2007)
- Measuring endogenous repair in heart disease (2008)
- Showing male and female stem cells differ in their ability for repair (2007)
- Perfusion decellularization of whole organs (2008)
- Creating a beating heart in the laboratory (2008)
The stunning recent proof of concept that a whole organ can be engineered in the laboratory, offers real promise for the development of autologous bioartificial organs for patients on the transplant list.
Taylor continues to be on the cutting edge of novel cardiac therapies and is a major voice in the field - helping frame the discussions as cell therapy moves from bench to bedside. Changing the lives of patients for the better, is a credo of her group as is, "Trust your crazy ideas." Dr. Taylor is a member of multiple government and corporate advisory boards in the cardiac cell therapy field including the FDA Cell and Gene Therapy Advisory Committee.
Among other academic responsibilities, Taylor is currently co-chair of the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation Cell Therapy Tissue Engineering Council and on the scientific committee and jury of the Grand Prix Lefoulon-Delande Foundation at the Institut de France, which awards a half-million euro ($700,000USD) prize yearly to a scientist with the greatest impact on the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
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