Ann S. Tsukamoto Weissman[1] (born July 6, 1952) is an Asian American stem cell researcher and inventor.[2][3] In 1991, she co-patented a process that allowed the human stem cell to be isolated and demonstrated their potential in treating patients with metastatic breast cancer.[1]
Ann Tsukamoto | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 6, 1952 California, United States |
| Alma mater | University of California San Diego University of California Los Angeles |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Stem cell biology |
| Institutions | University of California San Francisco SyStemix, Inc. StemCells, Inc. |
Tsukamoto’s research and contributions in the medical field have led to groundbreaking advancements in stem cell research, especially in understanding the blood systems of cancer patients.[4] Her work has shown potential treatments for cancers and neurological disorders, for which there were previously thought to be none.[1][4][5]
Career
editAnn Tsukamoto was born in California on July 6, 1952.[6] She completed her bachelor's degree at the University of California San Diego and her Ph.D in immunology and microbiology at the University of California Los Angeles.[6][7][8] Ann did most of her postdoctoral work at the University of California, San Francisco.[7] Here, she worked on the wnt-1 gene and developed a transgenic model for breast cancer. Wnt-1 was later discovered to be a key player in the stem cell self-renewal pathway.[8]
She joined the biotech company SyStemix from 1989 to 1997,[9] where she co-discovered the human hematopoietic stem cell (hHSC) and played a leading role in the launch of the clinical research program for this cell. The purified hHSC was shown to be cancer-free when isolated from the cancer-contaminated hematopoietic mobilized blood of patients with disseminated cancer, and it successfully regenerated the patients' blood-forming system after myeloablative chemotherapy.[8]
Ann joined StemCells Inc. in 1998, where she has held several leadership roles overseeing the isolation and application of human neural and liver stem cells for various diseases.[9] She led the scientific team that discovered the human central nervous system stem cell and identified a second candidate stem cell for the liver. Under her guidance, the human neural stem cell transitioned into early clinical development for all three components of the central nervous system: the brain, spinal cord, and eye. The biological potential and activity of these cells were demonstrated in some patients, mirroring the results observed in preclinical rodent studies.[8]
As of 2017, Tsukamoto is an inventor on seven issued U.S. patents, six of which are related to the human hematopoietic stem cell.[8] By 2021, she had reached a total of 13 patents.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Introducing the 2023 Alumni Award Honorees". University of California San Diego. 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "Ann Tsukamoto". See Jane. April 24, 2019. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
- ^ Baum, C. M.; Weissman, I. L.; Tsukamoto, A. S.; Buckle, A. M.; Peault, B. (April 1, 1992). "Isolation of a candidate human hematopoietic stem-cell population". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 89 (7): 2804–2808. Bibcode:1992PNAS...89.2804B. doi:10.1073/pnas.89.7.2804. PMC 48751. PMID 1372992.
- ^ a b "BBC 100 Women: Nine things you didn't know were invented by women". BBC. September 4, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "Dr. Ann Tsukamoto". Carlson Caspers. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ a b "Frauen sind anders. GENDERMEDIZIN: Männer auch" (PDF). Forum – das Magazin des Medizinischen Dienstes: 28–29. 2022.
- ^ a b c Luong, Julia (May 10, 2021). "Ann Tsukamoto: The Woman Inventor Whose Invention Saved Many". NOVA x Network. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Forum on Regenerative Medicine (June 16, 2017). Markowitz-Shulman, Ariel; Hammers-Forstag, Erin; Addie, Siobhan; Beachy, Sarah H. (eds.). Exploring the State of the Science in the Field of Regenerative Medicine: Challenges of and Opportunities for Cellular Therapies: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/24671. ISBN 978-0-309-45508-4. PMID 28301103.
- ^ a b BIOS 206 Brief Speaker Biographies (PDF). Standford University.