Institute director Chuck Murry takes new role at USC
The regenerative medicine specialist has led the study of stem cell-derived heart cells as a therapy option in heart failure cases.Media Contact: Susan Gregg - 206-390-3226, sghanson@uw.edu
Updated April 12
Dr. Charles “Chuck” Murry, the director of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) and a longtime faculty member at the University of Washington School of Medicine, has been appointed to lead stem-cell research at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. He will start there in August.
In 2006, Murry, with cancer specialist Dr. Tony Blau and developmental biologist Randy Moon, founded ISCRM, whose scientists are exploring stem cell-based therapies for heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and other conditions.
Murry’s lab has focused on the potential of stem cell-derived heart muscle cells to regenerate living tissue that could help people recover from heart failure. A professor of laboratory medicine and pathology, bioengineering, and medicine (cardiology), Murry also has been recognized for his work as an outstanding teacher in the UW School of Medicine.
“I want to thank Chuck for his service and leadership at ISCRM, and congratulate him on this new opportunity,” said Dr. Tim Dellit, CEO of UW Medicine, the Paul G. Ramsey Endowed Dean of the UW School of Medicine and the university’s executive vice president for medical affairs.
“Chuck has been instrumental in the growth of ISCRM, with six UW schools and colleges and 38 different departments participating in advancing our understanding of disease involving nearly every organ of the body and the field of stem cell and regenerative medicine,” Dellit noted. “The School of Medicine remains committed to this important work and supporting ISCRM during this transition.”
Dr. Jennifer Davis will serve as interim director of ISCRM as of June 1, 2024. Davis is an associate professor of laboratory medicine and pathology and of bioengineering. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Molecular & Integrative Physiology followed by postdoctoral training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in the Department of Molecular and Cardiovascular Biology. She currently is the associate director of ISCRM and director of the Center for Cardiovascular Biology. She will continue to lead the Center for Cardiovascular Biology while serving as Interim director of ISCRM.
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