Working at Samsonraj’s laboratory

Author: Vitali Maldonado | Major: Biomedical Engineering | Semester: Spring 2023

Hello everyone. My name is Vitali Maldonado. I am in the College of Engineering studying biomedical engineering. My mentor is Dr. Rebekah Margaret Samsonraj from the Department of Biomedical Engineering. I just finished my last semester as an undergraduate and my sixth semester performing research in Samsonraj’s lab. During this time in the lab, I performed research with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their use in regenerative medicine.

This semester, my project was focused on investigating the effects of aging on the different properties of MSCs. The properties that I focused on are their ability to transform into bone and fat cells and their ability to regulate the immune system. To do this, we cultured cells from different donors at young and old passages in either normal media or media that induce these cells to transform into bone or fat cells. Then, different tests were performed to measure how the properties mentioned earlier changed. The results were compared to the control group and between groups to determine any significant difference in young vs. old cells.

This topic was chosen by me and my mentor. It was inspired by the existing literature on MSCs and on how the results of these studies are not always the same. The non-uniformity in results was partly due to the differences that MSCs exhibit between them. We wanted to test whether age was a factor in these differences or if it was only donor-dependent. I learned many things during this project. First, I learned how to perform an immunosuppression assay with an ELISA plate. The process is long and requires precision but it gives important information about the cell’s capacity to regulate the immune system. Moreover, I learned time management and to start first the parts of the project that are going to take longer so that it can be finished by the set deadline. I learned how to use PRYSM, a graphing tool, which will allow me to analyze data in the future. I learned that many times experiments will fail and need to be redone. Finally, I learned that I am capable of learning new things fast and that failure is just a way to teach you how to improve for the next time you try to do the same thing.

All the members from Samsonraj’s lab were very supportive throughout the duration of the experiments. First of all, Dr. Samsonraj guided me on the experiments that needed to be done to complete my research and get significant results. She also helped me with the experiments the first time I did them. Next, all the other lab members gave me moral support and aided me with any technical support I needed. The lab was always clean and organized, which helped me find everything I needed fast. The different tools and machines from the lab allowed me to perform all the experiments I needed to perform and capture the results accurately.

I also had the amazing opportunity to attend the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology conference in Seattle. There, I was able to connect with other people that are in similar fields and present my research at a poster presentation. Next, I will attend graduate school at the University of Arkansas and pursue a Ph. D. in biomedical engineering. I want to help in the discovery of something that will help society and contribute to the scientific knowledge.