James March-April 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 75
department] and rural tele-ED, teleICU. MCG has a strong history of telemedicine going back 20 to 25 years.
We also do a lot of rapid stroke
evaluations. Georgia and Louisiana
have the highest maternal mortality
rates in the nation, and we’re trying
ways to stop that. Supporting the
underserved areas of the state has
always been a strong point of MCG.
Q The MASTERS clinical trial for which
you were the clinical principal investigator— a study of bone-marrow derived stem cells known as “Multistem”
in acute stroke-- is the largest stem
cell trial for stroke to date. What did
it mean to you?
A I always must disclose my con昀氀ict
of interest that I have a patent of
multistem with the university. Automatically, I’m biased because I have
a 昀椀nancial interest and the university
does. One donor can give you millions
of doses. We did that trial and it was
encouraging. It’s no longer the largest trial, and the one we did with the
Japanese that was published this past
year was larger. (Japanese have the
longest life expectancy in the world.)
The second trial was sponsored by
a Japanese company called Healios.
Athersys is the company involved in
the 昀椀rst trial. The stroke 昀椀eld is dif昀椀cult
to 昀椀nd neuroprotective drugs other
than TPA or SPAN (Stroke Preclinical
Assessment Network). It includes
Johns Hopkins, Iowa, Duke and MCG.
We test the most promising drugs
in rats and mice and 昀椀nd the ones that
work best in animals and then try to
take them to a clinical trial. In humans
we do clinical trials. But in SPAN, we’re
doing a preclinical trial. We don’t
know what we’re giving except the
dosing center. That’s a positive thing
NIH has done. We’re the only place
doing this in the world where we have
an established network.
Q Regarding your research, what are
you currently working on that you
feel may make the biggest difference
in people’s lives?
A Physical exercise and these NLRP
inhibitors. On a more public health issue, we’re working to try to do better
with community engagement and get
these treatments out to rural Georgians. That’s a long-term goal that
could have a big impact.
We have an obesity problem in
the United States, and part of that
problem is living a sedentary lifestyle.
Just go out for a walk and count your
steps and get yourself a step goal.
If you’re at 2,000, go for 4,000. If
you’re at 4,000, go for 8,000.
Q With the University of Georgia
adding a medical school that is an extension of the partnership it had with
Augusta University/Medical College
of Georgia since 2009 and to open
in late 2026, is UGA contacting you
about helping it get off the ground?
And what role will you play?
A We talk all the time. Shelly Nuss
is our campus dean, and we speak
weekly. Every time there’s a Georgia game we talk because we’re all
Georgia fans. They will be with us until
2029 or ’30 because the liaison committee on medical education, our certifying body, says anybody we admit
in 2025 will be our medical students.
We’ll be running two medical
schools at the Athens campus and our
campus. It’s not a bad thing because
Georgia needs more doctors. I look
at them as siblings now and cousins
in the future.
Q What do you think of Georgia soon
having two public medical schools?
A I’m 昀椀ne with it and we just continue to cooperate. When you’ve been
the only public medical school since
1828, it takes some getting used
to. Maybe it’s good. In Texas, they
call it cooperative and collaborative
competition. But you’re all trying to
produce the best students.
Everett Catts is a freelance writer who has
previously worked as an editor for various
Georgia newspapers.
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