Congratulations to Sayandeep Saha, MS, a second-year PhD student in Cellular and Molecular Biology, who recently received a Graduate Training Award from the UW Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Center! These awards are intended to provide interdisciplinary research training for those pursuing careers in the field of stem cell and regenerative medicine. The award will provide Sayandeep with a stipend and tuition support for one year while he pursues his dissertation research in the lab of Division of Transplantation Assistant Professor Dr. Matthew E. Brown.
The Brown lab focuses on the biology of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and the body’s immune response to cells (such as heart cells) that are made from PSCs. PSCs are cells that have the potential to become any type of cell or tissue in the body. The research team’s goal for this project is to develop a PSC-based cardiovascular cell therapy for heart attack patients that won’t get rejected by a patient’s immune system.
“To avoid organ rejection, transplant patients have to be on drugs that suppress their immune system, and these drugs can have some pretty significant adverse effects,” said Brown. “We’re really excited about this project, as it may allow us to develop a very promising new cell therapy that requires much less, or even no, immune suppressive drugs when we eventually give these cell therapies to patients in a future clinical trial.”
Working under the mentorship of Dr. Brown and doing a short research sabbatical with collaborator Dr. David Beebe in the UW Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sayandeep’s research will focus on editing a class of genes that are associated with the body’s immune response.
“On tissue that has been transplanted, there are molecules on the cells that directly or indirectly facilitate the immune system to attack the graft, leading to its rejection. We will be studying the specific genes that code for these molecules. Using cutting-edge gene-editing technology, we’ll alter these genes to see if this will prevent the immune system from attacking the graft,” Saha said. “I’m honored to have received this award and excited to carry out this research. With support from the Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Center, I’ll have the opportunity to gain critical knowledge and skills in the fields of transplantation immunology and regenerative medicine.”