By: Sarah Stark
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – An associate professor at the U of A recieved a substantial grant to continue her stem cell research.
Rebekah Samsonraj, a biomedical engineering professor at the U of A who holds a doctoral degree in bioengineering, recieved a nearly $1 million grant from the National Institute of Health.
Samsonraj has spent all of her professional and collegiate career researching and working with cells.
“I have been working with cells for the past 16 years ever since my undergrad, and the beginning of my research was full of unknowns which to me were incredible opportunities,” said Samsonraj.
Samsonraj will lead a project and team on a five-year-long study entitled, “Noninvase Preconditioning of Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Improve Potency for Bone Repair.”
Samsonraj is in the process of filing a patent for her proposed preconditioning technology Samsonraj has developed in order to embark on the study. Though the actual process is intellectual property information Samsonraj describes it as “noninvasive modulations.” Her continuing research will continue to focus and improve upon bone repair.
At the conclusion of the study, Samsonraj hopes to take the research even further. “At the end of five years,” said Samsonraj, “we hope to be able to have created a path forward to enter into clinical trials.”
Samsonraj’s lab focuses on cellular therapy and biomanufacturing. She has published cell research consistently since 2013.