Stephen J. Kaufman was awarded a state grant last week for his research on stem cells.

Kaufman, a professor of cell and developmental biology and member of the university's neuroscience program, — received $250,000 to focus on mesoangioblasts adult stem cells that have the capacity to become skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle cells, as well as nerve cells. It is hoped that they could be used to repair a variety of diseased tissues, especially for muscle-related diseases and injuries.

“The research we have proposed focuses on the optimization of mesoangioblast stem cell therapy in mouse models of human diseases including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, limb-girdle and congenital muscular dystrophy,” Kaufman said.

Kaufman’s postdoctoral fellows Suzanne E. Berry and Marni D. Boppart will play leading roles in the research. Kaufman’s lab in 1985 discovered a molecule (Alpha 7 integrin) that naturally occurs in healthy muscle tissue. A deficiency exists in several forms of congenital muscular dystrophy; the molecule also appears in abundance in Duchenne MD patients but minus another protein, dystrophin that promotes structural and functional integrity in muscles.

Kaufman has proposed in the past that gene therapy targeting integrin-chain genes could stimulate and help to regulate desired balances of these and other molecules vital to healthy muscles.