Jan A. Nolta
Clinical/Research Interests
Jan A. Nolta, Ph.D., stem cell program director at UC Davis, is one of the nation's leading stem cell
researchers.
In addition to conducting groundbreaking research into human stem cells, Dr. Nolta is overseeing
the expansion of UC Davis' exploration of regenerative medicine, which includes recruiting and
hiring additional scientists to complement more than 130 faculty members who are already
affiliated with the stem cell program. She joined UC Davis in 2006 after serving for four years as
scientific director of the cell and gene therapy Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility at
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Her translational research is focused on
developing improved stem cell therapies for treating neurodegenerative diseases including
Huntington's and Parkinson's disease, liver disease, lysosomal storage diseases, peripheral vascular
disease, and others.
Dr. Nolta has had more than 20 years experience in the stem cell field. Her group focuses on
"bench to the bedside" research, and she has been involved in numerous clinical trials of cellular
therapy. In 1994 she developed her passion for cellular therapy by helping to perform the first cord
blood stem cell gene therapy trials for newborns with "bubble baby disease", with her Ph.D.
mentor Donald Kohn at the University of Southern California. She has published over 100
manuscripts in the stem cell field and has authored 15 book chapters and numerous invited
papers. She was author and editor of the book Genetic Engineering of Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
Dr. Nolta has served on more than 75 National Institutes of Health grant review panels and has
been editor and editorial board member on six scientific journals, in addition to being active in
numerous scientific organizations. She is currently Associate Editor for the International Journal
Stem Cells. She has often been a keynote lecturer at many National and International conferences,
and participates in numerous training programs and community lectures.
As the scientific director of the new UC Davis good manufacturing practice (GMP) facility in the
CIRM-funded Institute for Regenerative Cures, Dr. Nolta is working diligently to translate key
discoveries into the clinic, through the UC Davis GMP Facility and UC Davis' NIH-funded Clinical
Translational Science Center (CTSC). The goal of the program is to bring improved stem cell
treatments to the patients' bedside, to better serve our community members.
Title
Professor, Director, Stem Cell Research Program, Director, UC Davis Institute for Regenerative
Cures
Specialty
Phone
Hematology and Oncology
(916) 703-9300
Jan A. Nolta
Education
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, Ph.D., 1994
California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, California, B.S., 1984
Professional Memberships
National Institutes of Health, Hematology B Study Section
Select Recent Publications
P Zhou, S Gross, J-H Liu, B-Y Yu, LL Feng, JA Nolta, V Sharma, D Piwnica-Worms and SX Qiu.
Flavokawain B, the Hepatotoxic Constituent from Kava Root, Induces GSH-Sensitive Oxidative
Stress through Modulation of IKK/NF-kB and MAPK Signaling Pathways. FASEB J. 2010 Aug 9.
[Epub ahead of print].
I. Rosova, D. Link, and Nolta J. Small Interfering RNA-Mediated Decreases in c-Met Levels Affect
the Differentiation Potential of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Reduce Their Capacity for
Tissue Repair. Tissue Engineering 2010 Aug;16 (8):2627-39.
Sondergaard CS, Hodonsky CJ, Khait L, Shaw J, Sarkar B, Birla R, Bove E, Nolta J, Si MS. Human
Thymus Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Augment Force Production in Self-Organized Cardiac Tissue.
Ann Thorac Surg. 2010 Sep; 90(3):796-804.
C Sondergaard, D Hess, D Maxwell, I Rosova, D Piwnica-Worms, A Kovacs, L Pedersen, and J
Nolta. Human UCB Progenitors with High ALDH Activity Improve Vascular Density in Acute
Myocardial Infarction. J. Translational Medicine. 8:24-9, 2010.
P. Zhou, R. Lahey, S. Hohm, D. Hess, J Nolta. Liver Engraftment by Transplanted Human Cord
Blood Progenitors and Human embryonic Stem Cells in a Novel Model, the NOD/SCID/MPSVII
Mouse. Hepatology 49 (6): 1992 – 2000, 2009.
P. Zhou, L. Wirthlin, J. McGee, G. Annett, and J. Nolta. Contribution of human hematopoietic
stem cells to liver repair. Seminars in Immunopathology Sep;31(3):411-9. Epub 2009 Jun 17.2009.
Anderson J, Nolta JA, Bauer G. Specific Transduction of HIV-Susceptible Cells for CCR5
Knockdown and Resistance to HIV Infection: A Novel Method for Targeted Gene Therapy and
Intracellular Immunization. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2009 Oct 1;52(2):152-61.
Anderson JS, Javien J, Nolta JA, Bauer G. Preintegration HIV-1 Inhibition by a Combination
Lentiviral Vector Containing a Chimeric TRIM5alpha Protein, a CCR5 shRNA, and a TAR Decoy.
Jan A. Nolta
Mol Ther. 2009 Dec;17(12):2103-14. Epub 2009 Aug 18.
Capoccia BJ, Robson DL, Levac KD, Maxwell DJ, Hohm SA, Neelamkavil MJ, Bell GI, Xenocostas A,
Link DC, Piwnica-Worms D, Nolta JA, Hess DA. Revascularization of ischemic limbs after
transplantation of human bone marrow cells with high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity. Blood 21
May, 113 ( 21): 5340-5351, 2009.
Rosova I, Dao MA, Capoccia BJ, Link DC, Hess DA, Nolta JA. Hypoxic Preconditioning Results in
Increased Motility and Improved Therapeutic Potential of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Stem
Cells. Aug;26(8):2173-82. 2008.
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