Boston University School of Medicine
My name is Andrew Berical and I am a practicing physician (MD) and research scientist, at the Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine. My primary research interest focuses on the utilization of autologous induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to create new and more accessible models of respiratory disease to one day provide a cell-based cure for airway-centric diseases, such as CF. My initial interest in utilizing these cells drew me to a persistent subset of CF patients for which there remains no targeted treatments (Class I mutations). I have worked for the past several years to advance the field of CF therapeutic discovery using iPSCs. Generating airway epithelial cells from CF donor-derived iPSCs (delF508, G551D, W1282X, G542X), we have successfully designed a novel platform for drug screening and development for these patients. It is my hope that these cells may one day replace the biopsy-derived human bronchial epithelial cells that have been used as the gold standard for CF drug development.
Friday, November 4, 2022
9:45 AM – 11:05 AM ET