Camillo Ricordi

New findings from a transplant study led by scientists from the Diabetes Research Institute at the Miller School and a DRI Federation center at Xiamen University in China showed that mesenchymal stem cells may replace a powerful anti-rejection drug in transplant recipients. The results of this pioneering study involving kidney transplant patients, published in the March 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, may fundamentally transform the future of clinical transplantation. Read the full story

Launch Pad entrepreneurs have swept the three finalist nominations in the “Technology Student Entrepreneur” category in this year’s Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Annual Technology Leaders of the Year Awards. In addition, The Launch Pad, a novel entrepreneurship initiative developed at the University of Miami, has been selected as a finalist in the “Technology Organization” category for its work in advancing entrepreneurism in the community.

Ketan Rahangdale, CEO of EarTop Technologies, Tyler McIntyre, CEO of Lucid Technologies, and Mark Slaughter, CEO of Cohealo, all of whom are also students in the School of Business Administration, are the three student finalists. Read the full story

Laura J. Frishman, professor and associate dean for graduate studies and research at the University of Houston College of Optometry, will present “Noninvasive Electrodiagnostic Tests of Retinal and Optic Nerve Function” on Thursday, April 5 at 5 p.m. in Bascom Palmer Eye Institute’s Jose Berrocal Auditorium. For more information, contact Jeanne Raymond at 305-482-4541 or [email protected].

Julia Zaias

Julia “Julie” Zaias has been appointed as the attending veterinarian and director of the Division of Veterinary Resources. Zaias has served in both those positions on an interim basis since last March, after a six-year stint as the associate director. The University’s Division of Veterinary Resources supports a large number of investigators working in diverse animal models and is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. Read the full story

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology will host two graduate-student seminars on Monday, April 2 in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, Room 3109, starting at 12 p.m. Wael Bahnan will present “HRI, a Pro-Pathogen Host Kinase” and Justin Boucher will present “Regulation of Innate Immune Responses by B Cells.” For more information, please contact Michelle Perez at 305-243-6655.