Principal Investigator
Hongjun Wang, PhD
Professor, Scientific Director,
Center for Cellular Therapy
Dr. Wang received her Ph.D. degree from China Agricultural University in 1998. She was trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy, and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital prior to joining Dr. Fritz Bach’s lab at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. She was promoted as an Instructor (2002-2007) and an Assistant Professor (2008-2011) at the Harvard Medical school. She then joined the Medical University of South Carolina in 2011 as an Associate Professor and was promoted to full professor in 2016.
The Wang lab has stayed focused on islet biology and transplantation immunology for the treatment of diabetes and chronic pancreatitis. Dr. Wang also serves as the co-Scientific Director for the Center for Cellular Therapy at MUSC, which allowed her to transition into a translational research scientist in the field of stem cell therapy and human islet transplantation. Dr. Wang has successfully organized and led multidisciplinary research teams, including physicians and scientists, to the execution of four clinical trials using approaches to prevent diabetes in type 1 diabetes and chronic pancreatitis patients. She has trained more than 30 postdoctoral fellows, medical students, Ph.D. students, junior faculty, and residents so far.
843-792-1800
Co-Investigators
Charlie Strange, MD
Professor of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine
Dr. Strange received his undergraduate degree at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, and his medical degree at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. His professional life has been dedicated to translational research for rare diseases with special interest in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. He cares for patients with advanced lung disease, and is an expert in clinical trial design and management, bronchoscopic therapies for COPD, and genetic lung diseases. With more than 300 publications, he serves as a mentor to many faculty and fellows.
843-792-3174
William Lancaster, MD, FACS
Assistant Professor of
GI/Laparoscopic Surgery
Dr. Lancaster attended medical school at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, where he graduated magna cum laude and completed his surgical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he served as administrative chief resident. While in the General Surgery Residency Education program at MUSC, Dr. Lancaster received numerous awards, including the David J. Cole Professionalism Award, the MUSC Department of Surgery Resident Research Award, and the Arnold P. Gold Humanism Award.He then completed a fellowship in hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery at the University of Indiana. The one-year transition-to-practice program provides the most robust HPB operative experience available in North America and emphasizes preoperative, operative and postoperative care. Upon completion of his HPB fellowship, Dr. Lancaster joined MUSC as an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Gastrointestinal & Laparoscopic Surgery.He then completed a fellowship in hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery at the University of Indiana. The one-year transition-to-practice program provides the most robust HPB operative experience available in North America and emphasizes preoperative, operative and postoperative care. Upon completion of his HPB fellowship, Dr. Lancaster joined MUSC as an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Gastrointestinal & Laparoscopic Surgery.
843-792-9393
Former Co-Investigators
Deborah Bowlby, MD, MSc
Dr. Bowlby is a board-certified pediatric endocrinologist with significant clinical experience, including serving as the Division Chief of Pediatric Endocrinology for 14 years. In addition to her work in patient care, she has conducted clinical trials focused on growth and puberty and is actively involved in diabetes research.
Katherine Morgan, MD, FACS
Katherine A. Morgan, MD, FACS is a renowned surgeon specializing in both benign and cancerous diseases of the pancreas, bile ducts, gallbladder, and liver. She is currently the Section Chief of Pancreas Surgery in the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, as well as the Director of the Auto-Islet Cell Transplant Program at NYU Langone. Previously, Dr. Morgan served as the Chief of the Division of GI & Laparoscopic Surgery and the Surgical Director of the Pancreatic Islet Transplant Program at MUSC, where she also served as a co-investigator in our clinical trials.