Illustration by Sol Linero
| Rebuilding Hearts |
On October 23, one of the nation’s leading regenerative medicine experts, Dr. Doris Taylor, will visit St. Louis to speak at the Women in Science & Entrepreneurship Conference. The director of regenerative medicine at the Texas Heart Institute, Taylor and her team have successfully removed the original cells from cadaver hearts and reseeded the remaining “ghost heart” with cells created from an individual’s stem cells, essentially rebuilding the heart to perfectly match its future host. “We can build virtually any organ,” says Taylor, who believes that regenerative medicine could someday serve as a much-needed alternative to donated-organ transplants. “Regenerative medicine is really opening a door.”
| Looking After Little Hearts |
Barnes-Jewish Hospital recently launched a maternal cardiac management program for pregnant and postpartum women. “We can anticipate how likely it is that a heart condition will cause problems, what types of problems, and how often,” says Dr. Kathryn Lindley, head of the program. “For those with genetic heart conditions, the baby is at a 50 percent greater risk for also developing a heart problem. The good news is that most women with pre-existing heart problems can still have a healthy pregnancy if under the care of a cardiologist.”
| Mammography On Wheels |
St. Luke’s Hospital recently rolled out a mobile mammography unit that offers both 2-D and 3-D mammograms. The latter allows radiologists to view breast tissue in 1-millimeter layers, improving early breast cancer detection by as much as 40 percent. “Registered mammography X-ray technologists perform the mammograms on the mobile unit, and all mammograms are reviewed with computer-aided detection,” says Dr. Paula George, a breast radiologist at St. Luke’s. The van travels all over the area and can be scheduled for visits to businesses, schools, and other organizations by calling 314-205-6267. stlukes-stl.com.
