SDSU OPENS NEW REGENERATIVE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

IRRI to be the hub of regeneration research on heart disease in the San Diego region.

November 14, 2012 (San Diego) -- The emerging field tissue regeneration, which harnesses the power and healing potential of stem cells, is an area that scientists around the world are turning their attention to. One of the foremost leaders in this area, Mark Sussman from San Diego State University, today announced the opening of SDSU’s new Integrated Regenerative Research Institute (IRRI) to help advance this area of research in San Diego.

Speaking at the Frontiers in Cardiovascular Regeneration International Symposium on the SDSU campus, Sussman said the new institute brings together researchers from across the region and around the world from the private and public sectors to advance the area of tissue regeneration.

“What we’re trying to do is turn back the aging clock of your heart,” Sussman said. “How can we take the process of tissue regeneration, which normally happens over the course of a lifetime, and make it happen in a year? We are bringing together the incredible resources of the San Diego region to advance our cutting edge research in this area.”

Sussman will lead IRRI, whose members includes more than 20 faculty-researchers from SDSU’s departments of biology and engineering, as well as from UCSD’s medical center, plus experts from San Diego’s private sector and internationally renown colleagues around the world. IRRI’s broad-based and transdisciplinary faculty span the research spectrum from basic biological investigation to translational implementation in the clinic. 

The collaborative effort focuses multiple laboratories from SDSU and UCSD on a shared goal of understanding the fundamental processes of heart protection and regeneration with a long-term vision for therapeutic strategies. 

Their research is supported by tens of millions of dollars in extramural funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American Heart Association and the California Institute of Regenerative Research. IRRI’ s investment in regenerative medicine includes a commitment to teaching the next generation of regenerative researchers at all levels, from undergraduate to post-doctoral to junior faculty.

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 85 areas, master's degrees in 77 areas and doctorates in 19 areas. SDSU's approximately 31,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.