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APRIL 2005

Dr. Shahin Rafi

Weill Cornell Medical College Stem Cell Scientist Named HHMI Investigator

Dr. Shahin Rafii of Weill Medical College of Cornell University—an internationally known cancer and vascular biologist and stem-cell authority—has been named by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) as one of 43 new HHMI investigators, an honor bestowed on only the nation’s most promising and gifted biomedical scientists.

“I am very pleased to announce that our own Dr. Shahin Rafii is the first physician-scientist at Weill Cornell to be named an HHMI investigator at the Medical College,” says Dr. Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. “As both clinician and researcher, Dr. Rafii has the unique ability to conduct translational research—to transform groundbreaking research from bench to bedside efficiently and successfully. His innovative work on stem cells and angiogenesis promises to make lasting impact on the treatment of cancer and vascular diseases.”

The Arthur Belfer Professor of Genetic Medicine and Director of the Ansary Center for Stem Cell Therapeutics at Weill Cornell Medical College, Dr. Rafii pioneered the concept that tumors and regenerating or damaged organs rely on circulating stem cells to build new blood vessels. He has shown that interaction between blood vessel cells and organ-specific stem cells contributes to the generation of functional vascularized organs, including bone marrow, heart, and muscle tissues. This work has paved the way for stem-cell therapy for the treatment of vascular insufficiencies, such as heart attack, or targeting tumor vasculature in cancer treatment.

In this regard, Dr. Rafii’s most recent research, demonstrates that a specific type of human fetal stem cell can develop into functional vascularized muscle tissue—a finding that could be the long-awaited breakthrough in using stem cells to repair damaged hearts.

Additionally, Dr. Rafii’s discovery that tumor or normal stem cells are dependent on interactions with vascular micro-environments for survival, has led to novel approaches for treating hematological malignancies and monitoring responses to anti-angiogenic therapies. He has also identified specific mobilizing factors called “chemokines,” which, through rapid recruitment of stem cells, restore blood production much faster than those growth factors currently in clinical use.

This discovery may have a tremendous impact for the treatment of blood and vascular disorders, as well as for preventing toxic side effects associated with chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow transplantation. Dr. Rafii’s group is currently designing gene and cell therapy models to exploit the potential of stem cell-active chemokines for therapeutic restoration of blood production.

Shahin Rafii received his B.A. in chemistry from Cornell University and his M.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. #

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