Dr.Saporta received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Davis, in 1967, and his Ph.D. in Neurophysiological Psychology in 1973 from the University of Southern California. He then took a post-doctoral position at the Health Sciences Center of the University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Anatomy, where he did research on the organization of the somatosensory system. He was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy at the University Of South Florida, College Of Medicine in 1977.Dr.Saporta is a Professor in the Department of Anatomy, and holds joint appointments in the Department of Neurosurgery and the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair.

Dr. Saporta's laboratory is interested in the engraftment of cells transplanted into the central nervous system.  While it is relatively easy to put cells in the brain and spinal cord, repair of the nervous system requires an understanding the way that these cells interact with their new environment to differentiate, develop, and extend processes so that conditions can be optimized to permit engraftment.  The laboratory is currently studying the properties of neuronal progenitors, adult stem cells and engineered tissue constructs as possible candidates for transplantation and cellular therapy.

Cameron, D.F, Hushen, J.J.,  Colina, L., Mallery, J., Willing, A.E., Sanberg, P.R. and Saporta, S.  Formation and Structure of Transplantable Tissue Constructs Generated in Simulated Microgravity  from Sertoli Cells and Neuron Precursors. Cell Transplantation, in press, 2004.

Hudson , J.E., Chen, N., Song, S., Walczak, P., Jendelová, P., Sykova, E., Willing, A.E., Saporta, S.,  Bickford, P., Sanchez-Ramos, J. and Zigova, T.  Green fluorescent protein bone marrow cells express hematopoietic and neural antigens in culture and migrate within the neonatal rat brain.  J. Neurosci.  Res. 76:255 – 264, 2004.

Saporta, S., Kim, J.J., Willing, A.E., Fu, E.S, Hart, C.D. and Sanberg, P.R.  Human Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells Infusion in Spinal Cord Injury.  Engraftment and Beneficial Influence on Behavior.  J. Hematother. Stem Cell Res. 12:271-278. 2003.

Garbuzova-Davis, S, Willing, A.E., Zigova, T, Saporta, S., Justen, E.B., Lane, J.C., Hudson, J.E., Chen, N., Hart, C.D. and Sanberg, P.R. Intravenous administration of human umbilical cord blood cells in a mouse model of ALS: distribution, migration, differentiation. J. Hematother. Stem Cell Res. 12:255-70, 2003.

Saporta, S., Makoui, A.S., Willing, A.E., Daadi, M., Cahill, D.W. and Sanberg, P.R.  Functional recovery in complete contusion spinal cord injury after transplantation of hnt neurons in rats.  J.Neurosurg.(Spine 1)97:63-68,2002.                                                                                                                                                                                         >>top

Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair
Department of Neurosurgery
USF College of Medicine
 FL 33612
813-974-3154