[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 85 (Thursday, June 29, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CONGRATULATIONS TO GAIL NAUGHTON, PH.D., INVENTOR OF THE YEAR

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                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 28, 2000

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, today I congratulate my constituent, 
Gail Naughton. Today, the Intellectual Property Owner's Association 
will name Dr. Naughton Inventor of the Year. As the first individual 
woman to win this award, Dr. Naughton is being honored for the process 
she invented to produce human tissues and organs outside the human 
body.
  Traditionally, growing cells in a laboratory consisted of placing 
cells on a flat surface with a growth medium. In this process, cells 
behaved differently than their natural counterparts. Dr. Naughton's 
invention utilizes stroma cells, which are the cells that form the 
surrounding matrix of the tissue. Using a three-dimensional 
scaffolding, which is placed in a specially designed ``bioreactor'', 
Dr. Naughton was able to simulate the body making it possible for cells 
to form a tissue matrix that was virtually undistinguishable from those 
found in nature. Dr. Naughton's pioneering work in tissue engineering 
has defined a new industry dedicated to helping the millions of people 
who suffer tissue loss or end-stage organ failure. In addition, 
cartilage, heart tissue and other organs can be bioengineed with this 
unique human-based technology, which has the potential of addressing 
the significant shortage of world wide donor organs.
  Dr. Naughton is the co-founder and President and Chief Operating 
Officer of Advanced Tissue Sciences, Inc. in La Jolla, California were 
she has developed product technology to help patients and to respond to 
the growing need for transplant tissues and organs. A mother of three, 
she received her MS in histology in 1978 and Ph.D. in 1981, both from 
NYU. She has been published extensively in the field of tissue 
engineering and is the holder or 26 U.S. patents. Through the Advanced 
Tissue Sciences, Dr. Naughton has produced various therapeutic products 
such as TranscyteTM, which is used to treat second and third 
degree burns, and Dermagraft\, which is used for the treatment of 
diabetic foot ulcers. These products represent advancements in 
bioengineering, manufacturing, and cytopreservation in an emerging 
industry.
  Dr. Naughton is also on the advisory boards of the Department of 
Bioengineering at Johns Hopkins University and Georgia Institute of 
Technology, and is a member of the industrial liaison board at the 
University of California, San Diego, the Georgia Institute of 
Technology, MIT, and the University of Washington. She is also a member 
of the board of Directors of Scripps Bank in La Jolla, California, the 
San Diego Burn Institute and the Charles H. and Anna S. Stern 
Foundation. In 1999, she received a ``Woman Who Mean Business'' award 
from the San Diego Business Journal.
  Gail Naughton deserves our congratulations for this tremendous 
achievement. I know that she is proud of her accomplishments, and I am 
proud to have her as my constituent.

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