Pictured above is sophomore Emma Smith.
Author: Emma Smith | Majors: Biomedical Engineering and Marketing
Mesenchymal stem cells are an essential component to regenerative medicine, which explores the use of different cells and biomaterials to regrow and repair tissues. Stem cell research is relatively a new field of research so it needs to be understood more in depth before it can be used clinically. Stem cells, specifically mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple different lineages without becoming cancerous. These characteristics of MSCs makes it an ideal candidate for use in medicine involving various therapies for different conditions such as arthritis and diabetes.
During my freshman year at the University of Arkansas, I was involved in the FEP Honors Research Experience program. Through this program, I found my mentor, Dr. Rebekah Margaret Samsonraj. I became a member of her lab freshman year and wanted to become more involved with the research in my sophomore year. I was interested in Dr. Samsonraj’s lab because it explores regenerative medicine with stem cells, which is a biomedical research topic that I always found interesting. I ultimately chose this topic and her lab because I wanted to be a part of research team that can help further the research to find therapies to cure conditions like arthritis, diabetes, and others that do not currently have an effective cure.
Dr. Samsonraj’s previous research has found that there is a genetic biomarker in bone marrow derived MSCs (MSCs that come from bone marrow) which correlated with stem cell growth capacity. My topic is to validate the genetic marker on adipose-derived MSCs (MSCs that come from fat tissues). I chose this topic because adipose MSCs are more abundant than bone marrow MSCs in the body and can also be easier to extract for use in clinical therapies. I also chose this topic because my experimental results would provide a novel insight for the field.
This past semester I continued to learn more cell culture techniques and build on what I had learned in my freshman year. I have also learned to have patience when it comes to expecting results and culturing the cells. I have found that cell culture is a biomedical engineering technique that I enjoy; therefore, I hope to continue with a potential career using those techniques. This past semester I have cultured MSCs, performed cell counting and collected DNA from MSCs from a couple different donors, which was a new experience for me. I faced some difficulties at first when culturing cells due to errors in counting and seeding cells, which led to low cell numbers. I overcame this error by getting advice from my mentor and consulting other students in the lab who worked in cell culture as well. After doing so, the numbers started to look a lot better.
Dr. Samsonraj along with her two graduate students, Sriya Pokharel and I Kadek Karisma Ardana, have showed me how to perform cell culture and DNA experiments. They along with some of the other undergraduate students, Neel Patel and Vitali Maldonado, have also helped me problem solve when I come across any issues or problems. Dr. Samsonraj has helped me develop professional skills by having me present research progress presentations for the lab and by having me working on writing and reviewing papers.
With this Honors College Research Grant, I have discovered that I am passionate about stem cells and the different possibilities that they hold for regenerative medicine. My next steps are to finish my preliminary experiments and to finish this project next semester. I then want to continue stem cell research throughout my undergraduate career. My plan is to pick an honors thesis project that deals with stem cell therapies and treatments. My long-term plan is to work for a biomedical lab or company someday that researches and uses the stem cell and cell culture techniques that I’ve learned in my undergraduate and graduate career to find effective treatment plans for various diseases.