Share the Science: Impact of Temperature on Cord Blood Transplant - Capitano / Broxmeyer

​Save the Cord Foundation and WellSky are proud to welcome Dr. Maegan Capitano, as our featured speaker for our next edition of Share the Science on Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 2pm ET / 11am PT. Join us to hear Dr. Capitano discuss her latest research published in co-operation with the late Dr. Hal Broxmeyer, focused on the ideal conditions for collecting and processing cord blood for transplant. Recording now available. Register here.

Share the Science is a free webinar series focused on the cord blood industry and the latest research in this field.  As always, we invite both health professionals and the general public to join us for this unique online educational series. Learn more about this exciting educational series here.

How does temperature affect cord blood transplants? It starts at birth.

A special Share the Science, honouring the late Dr. Hal Broxmeyer and his final contributions to cord blood research, led by his colleague and protégé, Dr. Maegan Capitano.

Dr. Hal Broxmeyer, the Father of Cord Blood

The legacy of Dr. Hal Broxmeyer is felt strongly by his colleagues and the cord blood industry at large. He rightfully earned the title, "Father of Cord Blood."  While his passing in 2021 left us with a true sense of loss, we are forever grateful to him and his colleagues for the innovative work they have done over the years and, in particular, Dr. Broxmeyer's discovery regarding the ability to collect and store cord blood for future use in stem cell transplants, if prepared and frozen promptly after the birth of a child. Given this, it does seem appropriate that one of his last research projects was related to temperature. He and his team sought to answer. . . How does temperature affect the quality of collections and processing of cord blood for stem cell transplants? 

To answer this question and dive deep into this research led by Broxmeyer's lab, we have invited Dr. Maegan Capitano to speak on Share the Science. As the Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at the Indiana University School of Medicine,  Dr. Capitanto will go in-depth on her latest research undertaken with Dr. Broxmeyer regarding how collecting and processing human cord blood at 4°C within minutes of the baby's birth results in significantly enhanced numbers of rigorously defined phenotypic and functional hematopoietic stem cells.

During this session, Dr. Capitano will discuss a variety of studies from the late Dr. Hal Broxmeyer that show how hematopoietic stem cell numbers collected in cord blood at the birth of a baby is a limiting factor for efficacious use of cord blood in hematopoietic cell transplantation.

We are honoured to have Dr. Capitano join us for this very special edition of Share the Science. Please join us and learn more about this group's amazing work in the world of cord blood.

SHARE THE SCIENCE
with

Maegan L. Capitano, BA, MS, PhD

Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, ​Indiana University School of Medicine
 
"Impact of Temperature on Cord Blood Transplant Efficacy"

Free webinar.  Open to the public.
​
Tuesday, April 12 at 2 pm ET / 11 am PT

RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE - WATCH HERE

WATCH Now: Dr. Capitano - Impact of Temperature on Cord Blood Transplant Efficacy

About the speaker

Maegan L. Capitano, BA, MS, PhD

Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine
Associate Member, Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Member and Hypoxia Core Director, Indiana University NIDDK-designated Cooperative Center of Excellence in Hematology

Maegan L. Capitano earned her B.A. in Biology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2004. During her summers in college, she worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the laboratory of Dr. Bo Dupont as a laboratory technician where she developed a passion for research. She next went on to earn a M.S. in Natural Science-Oncology in 2006 and her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in 2012 at the State University of New York at Buffalo- Roswell Park Cancer Center Division under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth Repasky. There she was given the George Meyer’s Award for Proficiency and Academic Excellence in Immunology.

She received her post-doctoral training (2012-2020) and worked as an Assistant Research Professor in the laboratory of Dr. Hal Broxmeyer at Indiana University School of Medicine focusing on Experimental Hematology. In 2021, she joined the faculty of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Indiana University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Capitano’s research focuses on discovering potential new agents that regulate hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell migration, proliferation, differentiation, and survival capacity under normal and stressed conditions. The Capitano lab strives to discover novel methods to 1) improve collection of donor cells for transplant so that the pool of eligible donors is increased and to 2) enhance the efficacy of donor cell engraftment thus shortening the hospitalization/isolation time of patients and subsequently decreasing treatment costs.

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We wish to thank Dr. Maegan Capitano for volunteering her time to speak on
Share the Science and sharing her valuable insight
on the efficient collection and processing of cord blood.
​​
We also wish to also thank our generous sponsor and partner for this event,
WellSky Health, who continue to support cord blood
education through our “Share the Science” series.