Postdoctoral Associate
Department of Medicine, Stem Cell Institute
Alfred F. Michael Postdoctoral Fellowship
for Best Doctoral Application
Given to the outstanding post-doctoral applicant
"Multipotent Adult Pluripotent Cells for Cardiac Regeneration"
Mentor: Catherine M. Verfaillie, M.D.
Dr. Pelacho obtained her Bachelor's degrees in Biochemistry and Biology in 1997 and 2000 respectively, and a PhD in Biochemistry in 2002 from the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. In the fall of 2002, she began work as a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Catherine Verfaillie at the University of Minnesota, where she began studies in cardiac repair. Dr. Verfaillie's laboratory has found that human, mouse and rat postnatal bone marrow contains primitive progenitors termed multipotent adult progenitor cells that differentiate at the single cell level, to endothelium, hepatocytes and neuroectodermal cells. For all lineages, differentiation was proven by phenotype as well as function. Dr. Pelacho's studies are focused on testing the capacity of these adult stem cells to differentiate into functional cardiomyocytes that may constitute a superior source of donor cells for the treatment of cardiac failure.
Main List - 2003-2004 Scholars