Tracy Grikscheit, MD, FACS, FAAP

Attending Physician

Investigator, Regenerative Medicine

Associate Professor of Surgery with Tenure, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Department / Division

General Pediatrics

Clinical Specialties

Surgery

Research Areas of Emphasis

Developmental Biology/Stem Cells/Tissue Engineering

Area of Research

Regenerative Medicine

Contact Information

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Phone: 323-361-5901Office

Fax: 323-361-3534Fax

Summary
Publications
Research
Media
Locations

Tracy Grikscheit, MD is an attending surgeon and associate professor of surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Her past research and current interests are centered on engineering solutions for a congenital and acquired intestinal deficit which has been reported in numerous peer-review journals and national and international presentations. Dr. Grikscheit is a funded primary investigator conducting research at The Saban Research Institute.

Clinical Interests

Surgery of Infancy and Childhood; Neonatal Surgery; Solid Tumors in Children; Congenital Anomalies

Education

Medical School:

Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons

Internship:

Massachusetts General Hospital: General Surgery

Residency:

Massachusetts General Hospital: General Surgery

Fellowship:

Seattle Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center: Pediatric Surgery; Research Fellow Department of Surgery Massachusetts General Hospital for Children

Accomplishments

Certification:

Surgery: American Board of Surgery

Professional Memberships:

American College of Surgeons; American Academy of Pediatrics; American Pediatric Surgical Association; Association for Academic Surgery, Tissue Engineering Society

Publications:

Grikscheit TC, Sala F, Ogilvie JB, Bower KA, Ochoa ER, Alsberg E, Mooney D, Vacanti JP. Tissue-engineered Spleen Protects Against Overwhelming Pneumococcal Sepsis in a Rodent Model. Journal of Surgical Research. 2008 Oct 149(2):214-8. Epub 2008 Feb 15

Guner YS, Chokshi N, Petrosyan M, Upperman JS, Ford HR, Grikscheit TC. Necrotizing enterocolitis ï¿½ bench to bedside: novel and emerging strategies. Semin Pediatr Surg. 2008 Nov 17(4):255-65

Estrada JJ, Petrosyan M, Hunter CJ, Lee SL, Anselmo DM, Grikscheit TC, Stein JE, Wang KS, Ford HR, Shaul DB. Preservation of extracorporeal tissue in closing gastroschisis augments intestinal length. J Pediatr Surg. 2008 Dec 43(12):2213-5

Guner YS, Chokshi N, Aranda A, Ochoa C, Qureshi FG, Nguyen NX, Grikscheit T, Ford HR, Stein JE, Shin CE. Thoracoscopic repair of neonatal diaphragmatic hernia. J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 2008 Dec 18(6):875-80

Publications on PubMed

Research Interests:

Tracy Grikscheit, MD, is a practicing pediatric surgeon and scientist with a laboratory focused on regenerative medicine and tissue engineering at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In the hospital, she cares for children who are born prematurely, and therefore are at increased risk for multiple medical conditions that may lead to intestinal lack or loss. One of these conditions is necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a potentially life-threatening intestinal problem. For the most severe cases of NEC, the only solution is surgical removal of the small intestine. However, this option leaves the baby dependent on intravenous feeding and the child is also at risk for liver damage from subsequent intravenous nutrition. Another option is small bowel transplantation, but graft and patient survival rates are still too low. Dr. Grikscheit envisions a better solution. The small intestine is an exquisitely regenerative organ. It is an elegant model to better understand organ-specific stem cells and the regenerative cells can be harnessed to make new gastrointestinal tissue for eventual clinical applications. Understanding how to generate tissue-engineered intestines, whether esophagus, stomach, small intestine, or colon, may also inform us how to expand the list of organs that can be tissue-engineered.

Visit the Grikscheit Laboratory.