Dozens of clinical trials are currently testing various stem cell therapies as treatments for some of the world’s most devastating diseases. While some have shown early promise, such therapies are inherently limited by the low efficiency of cellular homing – less than 1% of cells delivered via the blood stream reach their target tissues. Local delivery can be very invasive, as in the case of injecting cardiomyocytes directly into the heart to treat cardiac disease and heart attacks. A new approach developed by HSCI Principal Faculty Jeffrey Karp, PhD, has the potential to significantly enhance stem cell homing via the blood stream without compromising important therapeutic characteristics. By mimicking surface chemistry crucial to a native signaling pathway that directs cell trafficking, Karp and his team have essentially designed a nano-scale homing device that can target a variety of tissue types ranging from the bone marrow to the brain.
   
Sarkar, D.; Spencer, J.; Phillips, J.; Zhao, W.; Schafer, S.; Spelke, D.; Mortensen, L.; Ruiz, J.; Vemula, P.K.; Sridharan, R.; Kumar, S.; Karnik, R.; Lin, C.; Karp, J. (2011) Engineered Cell Homing. Blood. Epub 2011 Oct 27.