VIRC News

A 2020 edition of 'The VIRC Express' magazine is now available. The publication highlights our regenerative medicine clinical trials, changes in the VIRC administrative structure and our newest members. The VIRC Express can be viewed by clicking here. (pdf)

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A rescued domestic shorthaired cat named “Lily” has helped prove the efficacy of a game-changing treatment for feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS), or stomatitis for short.

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Grant enables UC Davis Health team to pursue FDA approval for clinical trialstent

Dr. Dori Borjesson co-authors new manuscirpt "Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Cats: Current Knowledge and Future Potential" in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.  Please click here to read this paper.

The VIRC unveils its third annual "VIRC Express" Newsletter that showcases current research endeavors, development initiatives and letters from the VIRC executive team.  You can read our newsletter by clicking the link above.

Click here to check out an article featuring the VIRC by the California Aggie: "UC Davis' unique approach to treat humans and pets"

Check out our team featured in the LA Times: Poisoned pets, preemie foals, dogs with spina bifida: UC Davis' top-ranked vets see them all.  

The VIRC is featured in The Daily Beasts' article: Cats and Dogs Could Help Human Disease Breakthrough.  

Stem Cell treatment for Spina Bifida helps dogs and children and UC Davis.  Click here to learn more about this story from the Sacramento Bee

UC Davis team (including the VIRC) attend the Kansas City Animal Health Investment Forum to network with industry and foster new partnerships to advance regenerative medicine

The VIRC host Dr. Mark Weiss for our Regenerative Medicine Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series.  Dr. Songsasen's seminar was titled: "Clinical Translation of Cell Therapy"

The VIRC and SVM Center for Continuing Professional Education hosts the event: "Clinical Innovations in Regenerative Medicine".  The event provided veterinarians, technicians and students with knowledge needed to incorporate scientific developments into there daily practice and work with UC Davis to enroll patients into existing clinical trials.

Students of the VIP program present two poster at the 2017 Undergraduate Research Conference at UC Davis.  Poster 1 Title: Effects of Feline Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Secreted Factors on T and B Cell Activation; Poster 2 Title: Effect of PGE2 Secretion from Feline Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on PBMCs

The VIRC meets with School leaders to discuss the development of a workshop “Regenerative medicine using naturally occurring disease models for translational studies” to help organization better understand the value of such models in veterinary and human medicine.

The SVM Deans Office approves $20,844 in innovation funds to be used by the VIRC to support ongoing clinical trials in cats with chronic gingivostomatitis.

The VIRC welcomes Brittany Elizondo and Tamar Cohen-Davidyan to our team to help support industry relationships and services.

The VIRC announces a new Fee-for-Service intiative to help support industry in the translation of regenerative medicine therapeutics.  Services include: Quality Control, Consultation and Tissue Procurment.  

Happy New Year!!

The VIRC host Dr. Nucharin Songsasen for our Regenerative Medicine Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series.  Dr. Songsasen's seminar was titled: "Doggone it: challenges and future perspectives on dog reproductive studies"

The VIRC awards four pilot grants to help promote translational research.  Awardees include: Dr. Amir Kol (Proposal Title: Somatic cell source influence on the efficiency of induced pluripotent stem cell pluripotency and epigenetic memory); Dr. Dori Borjesson (Proposal Title:  Deciphering feline stem cell interactions with CD8+ T cells); Dr. Kent Leach (Proposal Title: Stem cell-secreted platforms for bone engineering with the stromal vascular fraction); and Dr. Michael Mienaltowski (Proposal Title: How age affects tenogenic potential of murine progenitor cells)

VIRC staff oversee another quarter of the VIP program.  To learn more about the VIP program please please visit the VIP Website

The VIRC joins Dr. Jan Nolta and the Institute for Regenerative Cures (IRC) at the World Stem Cell Summit in West Palm Beach Floridia to meet with industry leaders, pateint advocates and regenerative medicine scientists.  

UC Davis approves the VIRCs First Year Seminar: "Regenerative Medicine: Stem Cells and Beyond".  This seminar will be taught to first and second year students by Drs. David Simpson and Amir Kol during the Winter 2017 quarter.

The Veterinary Medicine Deans Office approves $12,000 in additional funding to support the VIRCs Vertically Integrated Project course on Stem Cells and Potency Assay Development.  This money will be used to support student projects over the next 3 years.

The VIRC welcomes five new core members: Drs. Joshua Wood (Mouse Biology Program), Anna Denicol (Animal Science), Peter Belafsky (SOM: Otolaryngology), James Murray (Animal Science) and Maggie Ann Kuhn (SOM: Otolaryngology)

The VIRC unveils its second annual "VIRC Express" Newsletter that showcases current research endeavors, development initiatives and letters from the VIRC executive team.  

The VIRC participates in the UC Davis Early Academic Diversity Outreach Program by teaching high school students about stem cells and regenerative medicine.

The VIRC launches the "Works in Progress" (WIP) seminar series.  These seminars provide students, trainees and faculty an opportunity to present research in its earlier stages for discussion and feedback.

Dr. Larry Gallupo featured in the article: "The Hard Cell: Do stem cell treatments for racehorses hold the key to healing human athletes?" in Comstock's.

The VIRC offically launches it's undergraduate Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) course: Predicting stem cell potency and effectiveness

The VIRC officially becomes a "unit" of the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis
The VIRC Host it's second annual Strategic Planning Retreat (6/10/16)
The VIRC annouces it's continuing education event in clinical trials and regenerative medcine (Spring 2017) 
The VIRC hosts Dr. Kerstin Pueckler (from the University of Giessen) as part of it's regenerative medicine seminar series
Dr. David Simpson participates in the UC Davis SVM's Summer Enrichment Program by providng a lecture on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
The VIRC welcomes Dr. Laurie Bohannon-Worsley and Dr. Pablo Espinosa Mur as Research Fellows to our program!

The VIRC hosted Dr. Ke Cheng in it's Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series

Drs. Dori Borjesson, Boaz Arzi, Frank Verstraete and Nasim Fazel featured in the UC Davis article "Cat Stem Cell Therapy Gives Humans Hope".  
Drs. Boaz Arzi and Nasim Fazel featured in the Fierce Animal Health article "Stem cell therapy developed to treat dental disease in cats could also help people".  
Drs. Boaz Arzi and Nasim Fazel featured in The Sacramento Bee article "From pets to people? UC Davis vets' stem cell work gives humans hope".  
The VIRC hosted Dr. Jose Cibelli in it's first Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series
The VIRC awards Drs. Amir Kol, Fernando Fierro, Boaz Arzi and Aijun Wang pilot grant funding as part of its inaugural Pilot Grant Program.

The School of Veterinary Medicine Office of Research and VIRC assist campus educational leaders in securing $160,000 to help engage undergraduates in performing cutting edge research at UC Davis.  To learn more about the VIP program please click here.

The VIRC unveils annual newsletter entitled the "VIRC Express" that showcases current research endeavors, development initiatives and letters from the VIRC executive team. 

The VIRC officially launches at the VIRC Rollout and Stem Cell Awareness Event.  During this showcase of VIRC intiatives, patrons were able to interact with experts in multiple areas of regenerative medicine including equine orthopedics, cardiovascular tissue engineering and stem cell tracking.  

Dr. Dori Borjesson, Dr. David Simpson and Dr. Emily Mills Ko attend the 2015 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa to meet with Industry leaders and present ongoing VIRC research projects.

Several VIRC members including: Dr. Amir Kol, Dr. Boaz Arzi, Dr. Kryiacos Athanasiou, Dr. Jan Nolta, Dr. Leigh Griffiths, Dr. Frank Verstraete, Dr. Chris Murphy and Dr. Dori Borjesson author "Companion animals: Translational scientist's new best friends" featured in Science Translational Medicine.

UC Davis Celebrates Stem Cell Awareness Day.  Dr. Jan Nolta highlights the VIRC in her article "Celebrating Stem Cell Awareness Day" featured in the Davis Enterprise.

Dr. Dori Borjesson and the VIRC were featured in DVM360 article titled: Cutting edge stem cell cures. The article discusses how UC Davis and the VIRC is working to advance veterinary regenerative medicine discoveries to the clinic.   

The VIRC lauches its inagrual Pilot Grant Program as a mechanism to encourage innovation in regenerative medicine.  To find out more information about the program, please click here.  Applications are due October 30th, 2015.

Dr. Boaz Arzi featured in The Guardian in the article: Man's best friend: how veterinary research could save human lives. The article explores the ideas of "One Health" and how health solutions developed for pets may also help people too.

Dr. Larry Galuppo featured in the Davis Enterprise for his pioneering work in developing stem cell treatments for horses. 
Dr. Jan Nolta and Dr. David Simpson present at the 2015 Merial-NIH National Veterinary Scholar Symposium
Dr. Nolta: "Regenerative Medicine at UC Davis"
Dr. Simpson: "Lost in Translation: Navigating Regenerative Medicine in Academia and Industry"
Dr. Aijun Wang and team were awarded a UC Davis Science Translation and Innovative Research (STAIR) grant to help commercialize a sutureless artificial graft for arterial replacement. 

Several VIRC Members present at the 2015 North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Conference

Dr. Dori Borjesson: "Informing Clinical Trials: Stem Cell Function and Tracking"
Dr. Boaz Arzi: "Regenerative Approach to Madibular Reconstruction in Dogs" AND "Fresh, Cultured Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Non-responsive Gingivostomatitis in Cats"
Kaitlin Clark (Graduate Student): "Evaluation of Equine Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Cutaneous Wound Repair"
Dr. Fernando Fierro: "Increasing Efficacy with Clinically-compliant Genetically Engineered Multipotent Stromal Cells"
Dr. Amir Kol: "Th17 Pathway as a Target for Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Dogs" (Dr. Kol recieved a second place award for his accepted abstract and presentation)
Dr. Aijun Wang: "Engineering Biomaterials and Stem Cells for In Utero Repair of Birth Defects in Animal Models"
Dr. Eduardo Silva: "Polysaccharide-based Systems for Engineering vascular networks"

Dr. Boaz Arzi featured in UC Davis Today as the "Surfing Surgeon"