Farber in the News

Follow the links in this section to access news articles and broadcast reports about the Farber Institute, its directors and researchers.

Parkinson's In the News:

Researchers Define Ideal Time for Stem Cell Collection for Parkinson's Disease Therapy

November 20, 2008

Lorraine Iacovitti, PhD, professor and interim director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences of Thomas Jefferson University, and her research team found that neural progenitor cells that express the gene Lmx1a are committed to the midbrain dopamine neuron lineage, but still retain proliferative capacity. Because of these characteristics, the stage at which Lmx1a is expressed may be ideal for transplantation.

To read the full article on Michael J. Fox Foundation website, please click here.

November 19, 2008

Please visit Science Daily to read more on Parkinson's Disease by clicking here.

November 20, 2008

Please visit Medical News Today to read more on Parkinson's Disease by clicking here.

Stem-cell research partners end work
(Published 11-15-05, Philadelphia Inquirer) During a guest lecture at the University of Pennsylvania, Woo-Suk Hwang emphasized that his pioneering research on embryonic stem cells in South Korea was conducted under strict ethical controls. Five days later, Hwang's main American research partner, Gerald Schatten of the University of Pittsburgh, ended a 20-month collaboration, citing ethical concerns and a "breach of trust." Schatten's announcement has renewed calls for unrestricted U.S. funding of embryonic stem-cell research. It also has thrown a wrench into the Koreans' plans for an international program to share stem-cell lines - which would help American and European researchers circumvent restrictions in their own countries.

Rumors have circulated since last year that Hwang's team obtained eggs from a junior colleague, a violation of rules designed to prevent coercion. Korean officials rejected the accusations, but the denials now seem deceptive, Schatten said in a statement.

"Unless the research is done here with the necessary safeguards in place, you're going to see more and more of this," lamented neurobiologist Lorraine Iacovitti, an embryonic stem-cell researcher and associate director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University. "It's a real black mark on the whole field every time something like this happens."
Department of Neurology
Jefferson Hospital for Neurosciences
Farber Institute for Neurosciences

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Kansas City Star
The State

Stem cell debate rages on
(Published 6-13-05, American Medical News) Researchers who have been able to work with embryonic stem cells feel frustrated with the prohibitions on federal funds.

"The loss of a cell line, which happens frequently with these particular tissues, can result in months of lost lab time," said Lorraine Iacovitti, Ph.D., associate director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

"It's a myth that stem cell lines live forever," Dr. Iacovitti said. "The NIH-approved stem cell lines are expensive, they are hard to work with and they are getting old."

Dr. Iacovitti's lab has four federal grants, which she uses to work with the government-approved embryonic stem cells as well as adult stem cells.

Dr. Iacovitti also conducts research on newer embryonic stem cell lines, for which she has funding from the Pennsylvania government and private foundations.

"It becomes a game of putting together pieces of money from different foundations and state sources," said Dr. Iacovitti. "But that funding is a fraction of what is available from the federal government," said Dr. Iacovitti.

New Center Focused on Alzheimer's Prevention, Detection and Caregiver Relief
(April 29, WHYY 91FM) Thanks to a four-year, $3.5 million grant from Pennsylvania's share of the national tobacco settlement, Thomas Jefferson University has established a Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases at Jefferson's Farber Institute for Neurosciences. The new Jefferson center will work in collaboration with the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging to conduct research on different aspects of Alzheimer's disease.

Laura N. Gitlin, Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health, and professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the Jefferson College of Health Professions at Thomas Jefferson University, will direct a randomized trial of the home-based skills training program for caregivers. Building on her previous work in this area, she plans to test whether such a program can help reduce troublesome behaviors in Alzheimer's patients by teaching families problem-solving skills, how to engage the patient in meaningful activities and minimize triggers of behaviors and at the same time manage their own stress. She and her colleagues are developing a "risk screen" to identify family caregivers at risk for placing their family member in a nursing home.

"An innovative feature of this randomized controlled trial is that the intervention will be tested in a real community setting so that if it is effective, it can easily be translated into the aging network," she says.

Ann Olcott of the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, which is collaborating  with Dr. Gitlin on the project, was also interviewed.

Click the listen icon on the following page underneath the paragraph description (Alzheimer's Study, April 29, 2005) to hear the complete audio version of the story.

Pennsylvania Department of Health Awards Jefferson $3.5 Million from Tobacco Settlement Funds to Establish a New Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases
(Published 3-17-05 , PR Newswire) Sam Gandy, M.D., PH.D. is principal investigator of a four-year, $3.5-million grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to support a Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases at the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia . The health research grant is awarded from Pennsylvania 's share of the national tobacco settlement.

The new Jefferson center, co-directed by Barry Rovner, M.D., and Laura Gitlin, PH.D., will work in collaboration with the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, in order to conduct several research projects, each focusing on a different aspect of the Alzheimer's disease equation.

"The unique aspect of this project is the focus on developing a convenient diagnostic test that many caregivers and case workers can administer, and on training caregivers in non-drug related strategies that can help keep patients at home longer prior to nursing home placement," says Dr. Gandy.

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Rendell Administration Announces Health Research Grants From Tobacco Settlement Funds
(Published 03-16-2005, Yahoo! Finance)  On behalf of Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, Health Secretary Dr. Calvin Johnson announced that five health research grants totaling $20 million will be awarded from Pennsylvania's share of the national tobacco settlement.  These grants will develop Centers of Excellence to reduce disparities in neurodegenerative diseases and tobacco use.  Thomas Jefferson University, in collaboration with the Philadelphia Corporation of Aging, will receive $3.5 million to test biological markers and a community-based screening tool to identify dementia in a racially and economically diverse community.  The project will also test the efficacy of a home-based caregiver kills-training intervention to delay nursing home placement and improve the quality of life for caregivers. "This year's grants reaffirm the Rendell Administration's commitment to identifying and funding projects that will have a positive impact on our residents and their health," says Secretary Johnson.

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Diabetes- A Risk Factor for Alzheimer's disease?
(Aired 5-20-2004, CN8) Barry W. Rovner, M.D., director of Clinical Alzheimer's Research at the Farber Institute for Neurosciences of Thomas Jefferson University, appears on Your Morning on CN8, the live morning talk show on Comcast, 9 a.m., Thursday, May 20, to discuss a new study that shows that those with diabetes may be at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

New Alzheimer's Drug Trial Expected to Begin at Jefferson
( Published 12-26-2003, The Wall Street Journal ) The Wall Street Journal reports that the Farber Institute for Neurosciences is expected to begin a new clinical trial on Alzheimer's disease this Spring. Please click here for a PDF version of this article.

Formal dedication and opening of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences of Thomas Jefferson University
CBS3 (Ch.3), NBC10 (Ch.10), 6ABC(Ch.6), WB17 (Ch.17), KYW newsradio(1060AM) WHYY-FM (90.9) news come out for dedication of Farber Institute and speak with its director, Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D, associate director Lorraine Iacovitti, Ph.D., and special guests Patti Davis and actor David Hyde Pierce.

Scientists Coax Neurons from Bone Marrow Stem Cells
(Published 11-13-2001, Scientific American ) As part of their continuing effort to skip over the ethical and political hurdles surrounding embryonic stem cells, researchers have unlocked even more potential from the adult kind. New findings suggest that a biochemical cocktail can coax adult bone marrow stem cells to become neurons, according to a report presented yesterday at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego.