Cardiac Stem Cells: A Patient Perspective with Pat Farrant

Deepak Srivastava, MD, explores how cellular reprogramming offers new hope for treating heart disease. He highlights innovative strategies to regenerate damaged heart tissue by stimulating adult cardiomyocytes to divide and converting fibroblasts into heart-like cells. His team develops a nonviral delivery system using lipid nanoparticles and investigates the role of specific gene regulators in restoring heart function in animal models. Srivastava also discusses a potential oral therapy for aortic valve disease, driven by insights into cellular fate changes caused by NOTCH1 mutations and telomere shortening. Additionally, he reveals how trisomy 21 may trigger congenital heart defects by altering the identity of specialized heart cells. Through pioneering research in genetics and regenerative medicine, Srivastava demonstrates how understanding developmental biology can lead to transformative clinical advances. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40447]

Hear about cutting-edge advances in regenerative medicine, from lab breakthroughs to patient impact. Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, introduces efforts at the Sanford Stem Cell Institute to develop therapies that enhance the body’s ability to heal itself. Dan Kaufman, MD, PhD, shares progress in cancer immunotherapy using engineered natural killer cells derived from pluripotent stem cells. Karen Christman, PhD, explains how her team creates injectable hydrogels from pig heart tissue to support heart repair and regeneration after a heart attack. Tiffani Manolis highlights industry support for making cell and gene therapies more accessible. Patient advocate Justin Graves describes his life-changing experience receiving a stem cell-based therapy for epilepsy, underscoring the real-world promise of these innovations. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40705]

Dr. Robert Baron reviews best practices in lipid management for preventing cardiovascular disease, with a focus on statin use. He outlines the strong evidence for statins in reducing heart attack and stroke risk by 25–33%, particularly in patients with clinical atherosclerotic disease, diabetes, or high LDL. He explains why shared decision-making is key in primary prevention, where guidelines vary and risk thresholds are debated. Baron discusses the shift to the newer PREVENT risk calculator, which offers improved accuracy and removes race as a factor. He also explains when additional lipid-lowering medications may be appropriate and clarifies the impact of risk-enhancing factors like family history, coronary artery calcium, and LP(a). [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40755]

Maria Rosario (Happy) G. Araneta, Ph.D., M.P.H., highlights the significant impact of prenatal and childhood malnutrition on later health outcomes, including coronary heart disease and diabetes. She emphasizes the importance of physical activity, strength training, and the need for inclusive research to address health disparities. Future research directions include understanding cognitive impairment related to diabetes and developing effective interventions for diverse populations. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 39392]

Anthony Lim, M.D., J.D. shares research that tackles diseases through a whole-food, plant-based diet. Learn how food choices can transform your well-being. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 39600]

Learn about groundbreaking research being conducted by some of the most highly skilled and intelligent minds in the nation towards enhancing human health, in fields such as biomedical sciences, social sciences, and digital health. This program will talk about beta adrenergic receptors, which are key components of the body's cardiovascular system, playing a vital role in modulating heart rate, contractility, and blood vessel activity in response to various physiological and environmental stimuli. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 38983]

Joseph C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D., shares his pioneering research on cardiovascular disease mechanisms using patient-specific stem cells. Learn about accelerated drug discovery, "clinical trials in a dish," and precision medicine's impact on treatment. Explore genomics, stem cells, imaging, and more. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 38327]

Having a skilled primary care clinician will go a long way to maintaining your health and wellness. In this program on primary care basics, Dr. Robert B. Baron discusses the best practices for managing blood cholesterol and understanding the benefits and harms to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 38794]

Having a skilled primary care clinician will go a long way to maintaining your health and wellness. In this program on primary care basic, Dr. Robert B. Baron discusses the best practices in how to measure blood pressure, treatment goals, diet, lifestyle and medications. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 38791]

Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. are receiving treatment for failing kidneys, livers, hearts, and other organs. Learn about the current strategies and new advances to support, provide organs and solutions to those in need. In this program, Dr. Jason Smith discusses the process for determining when to perform a heart transplant after death. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 38490]