Atala was born in Peru in 1958, grew up in Boca Raton, Florida, and comes from a large family. Atala attended the University of Miami and has an undergraduate degree in Psychology. He went to medical school at the University of Louisville where he also completed his residency in urology. He was a fellow at the Harvard Medical School affiliated Children's Hospital Boston from 1990-1992 where he trained under world renowned pediatric urologic surgeons Alan Retik and Hardy Hendren. He served as the Director of the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Cellular Therapeutics at Children's Hospital Boston.His work there involved growing human tissues and organs to replace those damaged by disease or defects.
Growing human organs
Dr Atala is the now the Director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the Wake Forest Institute. He is also a Professor and Chair of Urology program. He was the pioneer who cultivated a bladder from the patient’s own cells. In 2004 he moved to the Wake Forest Institute and since then his team have perfected growing 22 human organs Kidney, Esophagus, Bladder, Smooth Muscle, Cartilage, Urethra, Ureter, Vessels, Salivary glands, Trachea, Bone, Breast, Skeletal Muscle, Lung, Retina, Uterus, Heart, Testes, Nerve, Liver, Pancreas and Genitalia. Since the organs are grown from the patient’s own cells the risk of rejection is low and the organ can be grown in as less as 7 weeks.
Video: Dr Atala explains how they grow the organs in his lab.
Future Development
At the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, scientists are working to engineer pancreatic beta cells in the laboratory. The work involves a new type of stem cell derived from amniotic fluid. The team is aiming at coaxing the cells to differentiate into pancreatic insulin-producing cells, reversing diabetic conditions in patients. They are also growing blood vessels and arteries. They can be used in bypass surgery and other critical surgeries.
