Wilma and Roswell Messing professor of pathology and immunology
Expertise: Stem Cell Research
Bio:
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| Steven Teitelbaum |
Physician-scientist Steven L. Teitelbaum, M.D., is a leading spokesperson on stem cell science for Washington University and has frequently explained the way the technology works and the lifesaving medical advances that may be made possible by stem cell technology. His own research centers bone diseases including the genetic disorder, osteopetrosis. Children afflicted with the condition have too much bone, leading in serious cases to fatal neurological complications. The only treatment for the disorder is a bone marrow transplant from an immunologically matched donor. Unfortunately, matched donors can be found for only 10 percent of patients with osteopetrosis. Teitelbaum hopes that one day stem cell technology will make it possible to successfully treat many more osteopetrosis patients.
"We can't get to cures until we do the science, moving forward on all possible fronts," says Teitelbaum. "Science is unpredictable. It's like standing in front of 20 doors and knocking on each of them. Behind 19 you may find nothing, in spite of all your hard work - but behind the 20th you may find gold."
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