In a quiet laboratory overlooking downtown Tampa, heart cells beat rhythmically in a dish, living proof of an idea once thought impossible: that damaged human tissue could be coaxed to heal itself. This is the frontier of regenerative medicine, and at USF Health, that frontier is expanding rapidly through the Center for Regenerative Medicine.
Regenerative medicine aims to restore what disease and time have taken, rebuilding tissues, reviving organs and renewing the body from within. It blends stem cell biology, gene editing, molecular engineering and the imagination of scientists who refuse to accept that 鈥渋ncurable鈥� must mean 鈥渦nreachable.鈥� This approach has enormous implications for diseases that remain incurable today, including heart failure, muscular dystrophy and neurodegeneration, conditions that touch millions of lives around the world.
When a heart attack strikes, millions of heart muscle cells die within minutes. Unlike skin or liver cells, cardiac cells cannot regenerate; they are gone, leaving the heart scarred, weakened and struggling to pump life-sustaining oxygen through the body. The damage is permanent. But at USF Health, researchers are asking a bold question: What if it doesn鈥檛 have to be?
Imagine if, after a catastrophic event like a heart attack, instead of facing a lifetime tethered to an oxygen tank or diminished by irreversible heart damage, doctors could help the heart rebuild itself, growing new, healthy muscle cells to replace those lost forever.
At USF Health, that vision took root in 2021 when , a world-renowned cardiovascular biologist, founded the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) within the USF Health Heart Institute. What began as an idea to bring together experts in biology, engineering and medicine has grown into a powerhouse of discovery, with more than $20 million in active National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and outstanding faculty members pushing the limits of what the human body can repair.
鈥淩egeneration represents the body鈥檚 most fundamental form of healing,鈥� said Dr. Wang, professor and Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine and director of USF Health Heart Institute and the CRM. 鈥淎t USF Health, we are uniting biologists, engineers and clinicians to uncover how that healing happens and how we can amplify it to prevent and treat disease.鈥�
Da-Zhi Wang, PhD
Inside the gleaming new USF Health building in downtown Tampa, the Center鈥檚 laboratories hum with possibility. Researchers peer into microscopes to track how a single molecule determines whether a heart cell survives or dies. In another lab, scientists are testing custom-engineered RNA therapies designed to reawaken the heart鈥檚 ability to repair itself after injury.
The CRM鈥檚 work spans every corner of the university, linking the Colleges of Engineering, Arts & Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health. It extends into collaborations with Tampa General Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center and a growing number of industry partners.
鈥淭he Center for Regenerative Medicine embodies the spirit of USF Health,鈥� said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. 鈥淏y bringing together brilliant basic scientists and visionary clinicians, we are accelerating the discovery of new therapies that will redefine how we heal.鈥�
At the heart of the CRM鈥檚 success are five faculty members whose discoveries form a living ecosystem of ideas, each one feeding the next, united by a single purpose: to help the body remember how to heal.
- , the center鈥檚 founder, is internationally known for discovering myocardin, a master regulator of heart development. His lab explores how noncoding RNAs, transcription factors, and epigenetic regulators orchestrate cardiac growth and repair.
- , associate professor, studies how cells die and how to prevent premature cell death. His NIH R35-funded research decodes necroptosis, a form of programmed cell death linked to heart injury and neurodegeneration.
- , associate professor, uses stem cell biology and genetic engineering to reveal how noncoding RNAs and transcription factors contribute to heart failure and regeneration, including work on Down syndrome鈥揳ssociated cardiac defects.
- , assistant professor, develops mRNA-based therapies to jumpstart the heart鈥檚 natural repair process, pioneering a delivery platform called Specific Modified mRNA Translation System (SMRTs) that enables cell-specific mRNA expression.
- , assistant professor, investigates how cardiac and skeletal muscle resist cancer and repair themselves, searching for the molecular cues that can reawaken dormant regenerative capacity.
For the students and postdoctoral fellows who train here, the CRM is more than a research center; it鈥檚 a launchpad. Trainees learn to navigate the delicate balance between fundamental discovery and clinical translation, guided by mentors whose curiosity has changed the field. Plans are underway to expand training programs, secure NIH T32 grants, and establish specialized cores in pathophysiology, stem cell and tissue engineering, ensuring USF remains a national destination for regenerative medicine education.
As medicine evolves from treating symptoms to restoring function, the Center for Regenerative Medicine stands at the forefront of a scientific revolution, one that blurs the line between healing and renewal. In the coming years, the center will extend its reach beyond the heart, exploring new frontiers in muscle, vascular and neural regeneration while advancing RNA and gene therapy platforms poised for clinical translation. Industry collaborations, patents and start-ups will follow, strengthening Tampa Bay鈥檚 position as a national hub for regenerative innovation.
鈥淩egeneration is the future of medicine,鈥� Dr. Wang said. 鈥淎nd at USF Health, that future is already underway.鈥�
Dr. Wang鈥檚 more recent research at USF Health laid critical groundwork for this vision. His landmark publication, 鈥�,鈥� demonstrated a novel mechanism by which limiting mitochondrial activity can encourage heart muscle cells to divide and repair damaged tissue. The study underscored the regenerative potential within adult cardiac cells once thought to be permanently dormant.
Looking ahead, USF Health is also planning the construction of the USF Health Translational Research Institute, which is expected to become the largest standalone research facility in the institution鈥檚 history. This state-of-the-art complex will provide new opportunities for discovery, collaboration, and innovation across disciplines, including regenerative medicine, virology and microbiome science, further solidifying USF Health鈥檚 leadership in scientific advancement.
鈥� Photos by Freddie Coleman, USF Health Communications