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Stenbit analyzes stem cells for CF research  by Heather Woolwine Public Relations It’s apparent that Antine Stenbit, M.D., Ph.D., has found her calling when she talks about patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).   New to the department in April, Stenbit’s recruitment to MUSC is directly linked to the plight of CF patients and their lengthening life spans. Part of her work is looking into how stem cells could be used to treat patients with CF. She also is helping to fill in the research gaps while tackling the fatal disease.   “There is a shortage of research being done by pulmonologists for adult cystic fibrosis patients,” said Stenbit, assistant professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary, critical care and allergy and the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy. “In the 1980s, life expectancy for CF patients was five years. The average life span as of 2005 is 36 years. As these patients are living longer, the need for greater understanding of the disease grows. It’s a group of people that don’t know what to do with their life, and our challenge is how we’re going to let people die with the disease, not because of the disease.”   For the little girl who always wanted to be a doctor and the woman who adores science, MUSC meant an opportunity to join a team of pulmonologists and scientists dedicated to finding innovative treatments for CF.   CF disrupts the normal function of epithelial cells—cells that make up the sweat glands in the skin and that also line passageways inside the lungs, liver, pancreas, and digestive and reproductive systems. CF makes it difficult to clear germs and mucous from the lungs, as well as adversely affecting digestion and normal organ function. CF patients progressively lose lung function or experience organ failures, which result in death.   Stenbit received her bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa. From there it was seven years of medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y., where she earned both of her doctoral degrees. She completed a research residency and a pulmonary and critical fellowship at University California-San Diego from 1998 to 2004.   “When I was a fellow, the director of the adult CF patient clinic, Dr. Doug Conrad, told me to come and see the clinic. It was very conducive to my schedule, but I also fell in love with that particular patient population. You either ‘get’ CF, or you don’t. The patients take a tremendous amount of energy and dedication, but as much as you give, they give back.”   Making the conscious decision not to take a job after her fellowship that omitted work with CF patients, Stenbit began to network. It was through her friend Conrad that Stenbit connected with MUSC pulmonologist Patrick Flume, M.D. She met with Graduate Studies Dean Perry Halushka, M.D., Ph.D., and realized “this could work.”   “CF is fascinating, and even though the gene was discovered (that is responsible for CF), there is still a lot that we don’t know about it. As more people are able to live into adulthood, we need to study how adults deal with the disease and create better programs for those adult patients. Screening for newborns and pre-newborn screenings are also important. The sooner we get to CF patients, the longer we’ll be able to improve their lung function,” Stenbit said.   Stenbit’s work at MUSC will largely include investigation of stem cells, specifically adult stem cells found in bone marrow. These cells can be recruited to various injured tissue within the body and she is interested in learning how these cells might be recruited to help CF patients.   “I couldn’t just do one or the other (research or clinical practice), I need the mix,” she said. “Seeing the patients makes you realize why you’re in the lab. I want to make people’s lives better. It’s that simple. I love coming up with the questions and walking down the road, looking for the right path. If you fall, you dust off and get back on. I fell in love with science and it’s tough. There are lots of ups and downs, but nothing compares to those highs when you discover something. You’ll go through all of it just for that one moment and the opportunity to change someone’s life.”   Not just an advocate for CF patients and research, Stenbit is also an advocate for her hobby, cooking. “I love to cook and I love to feed people. I’ve made several wedding cakes and I love to bake. I knit, putter around in the yard and house,” she said.   When she visits family in Colorado and Virginia, she’s able to demonstrate her cooking skills to beloved nephews and nieces, Colin, Charlotte, Margo, and Ian. “They’re good eggs,” she said.   A former competitive athlete, Stenbit occasionally rows and swims, and she rides her bike to work from her downtown home every day. “It’s my time to prepare or decompress, depending on the direction I’m heading,” she said.     Friday, June 16, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. 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