UW Eye Research Institute
as an undergraduate and then pursued a combined MD degree and PhD degree (in Neuroscience) at the University of Michigan.
Choosing advanced clinical training as a pediatric ophthalmologist was logical for Gamm. In addition to the enjoyment of working with children, ophthalmology directly incorporated Gamm’s neuroscience training, since it includes study of the retina, a thin layer of neural (brain) cells lining the back of the eye.
“As a resident, I did research in the lab of Drs. Arthur Polans and Daniel Albert, who now respectively serve as the Associate Director and Director of the UW Eye Research Institute,” Gamm explains. “Following my time in their lab, Dr. Albert asked if I had ever considered studying stem cells in the eye, as it was a new area of research that had implications from a basic science as well as clinical standpoint. The idea intrigued me, but I knew I would need more training. And how could I do that while starting my clinical practice?”
Clive Svendsen, PhD, professor of Anatomy and Neurology, was studying ways to repair damaged areas of the brain using stem cells. Gamm met with Svendsen to investigate research options, and Svendsen agreed to become Gamm’s mentor and sponsor for a National Institutes of Health K08 grant. The K08 is designed to support the development of outstanding clinician-scientists by providing a 3–5 year period of supervised research experience. “It was a perfect fit for me,” says Gamm.
Cultured human retinal progenitor cells mature into retinal neurons (greenish
cells), including photoreceptor-like cells (pinkish-purple areas).
The K08 award requires an investigator to devote 75% of his time to the research project. To facilitate this, Cultured human retinal progenitor cells mature into retinal neurons (greenish cells), including photoreceptor-like cells (pinkish-purple areas).
Gamm’s pediatric ophthalmology colleagues arranged his clinical practice schedule to fit the 25% time he would have available. “Without the support of Drs. Tom France, Burton Kushner, Mike Struck and Yasmin Bradfield, I couldn’t possibly have balanced the clinical and research requirements.”
And support came from other quarters. The UW’s Waisman Center, whose mission is to advance knowledge about human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases, stepped forward with lab space for Gamm just down the hall from the Svendsen lab. Marsha Seltzer, Director of the Waisman Center, notes, “We at the Waisman Center were delighted when David Gamm joined our ranks. He is an outstanding scientist, a very skillful surgeon, and a truly wonderful human being. The addition of Dave to the Waisman Center has helped to build a critical mass of stem cell researchers whose work is central to our mission.”
In addition, donations to support Gamm’s research came from UW Board of Regents member David Walsh and philanthropist William Heckrodt. Stem cell research on the campus receives further backing from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has worked diligently to expand and support stem cell research in the state. All these factors come together to create a climate favorable for faculty — like Gamm — who wish to work on unlocking stem cells’ clues to healing.
Stem cells tantalize scientists because they are a potentially unlimited source of “flexible” cells in the human body which have the ability to differentiate into other...(Next) (Previous)