The SCRMC Research Training Awards were established in 2008 to recognize and provide support for promising graduate students and postdoctoral fellows of all citizenships conducting stem cell and regenerative medicine research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The 2024 SCRMC Research Training Awards Program provides unique, interdisciplinary training for five future leaders in stem cell and regenerative medicine research. Additionally, this program will foster interdisciplinary collaborations among campus investigators.
The SCRMC and the awardees would like to thank those who philanthropically support the SCRMC and make these awards possible.
Meet the 2024 SCRMC Research Training Award Winners
Sayandeep Saha
PhD Student
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Brown Lab, Department of Surgery
Project Description:
Human pluripotent stem cells (PSC) derived Arterial Endothelial Cells (AECs) can benefit a wide range of PSC-based therapies by promoting neovascularization; however, these are the first cells encountered and attacked by the recipient immune system in multi-cellular, PSC-derived grafts. They are therefore a prime target cell type for hypoimmune gene editing. AECs express cell adhesion molecules (AMs) which bind directly to ligands expressed on the surface of multiple types of effector immune cells that participate in allograft rejection. This project utilizes CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to knock out a critical AM in PSCs and in PSC-AECs, thereby significantly diminishing innate and adaptive immune cell binding to our cell therapies in order to avoid allorejection.
Trainee Statement:
I’m honored to have received this award and excited to carry out this research project. 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. I look forward to publishing our results and exploring the next steps of understanding in vivo immune responses to the various cell types comprising PSC-derived cardiovascular cell therapies.
Shraddha Suryavanshi
PhD Student
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Lo Sardo Lab, Department of Cell & Regenerative Biology
Project Description:
Our lab studies non-coding genetic variants linked to risk for Coronary artery disease, in particular, the 9p21.3 CAD risk locus. This non-coding region is human-specific and iPSCs are an ideal model to understand how this locus works and how it induces increased risk of developing CAD.
For my project I focus on the role of this genomic region on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), one of the main cell type of the coronary arteries. We have preliminary evidence indicating that the 9p21.3 locus regulates mRNA metabolism and splicing processes. My project will focus on investigating this mechanism, to explore further which splicing genes are dysregulated by the risk form of the 9p21.3 and what are the consequences of this dis-regulation. I will also leverage a new sequencing technology, based on long reads, to understand if this locus regulates specific gene isoforms at the genome-wide level.
Trainee Statement:
Being an international student, I have limited access to funding opportunities, so I am very grateful for the generous support of the SCRMC. I am honored to have been selected for this fellowship, as I know there were many fantastic trainees applying this year. I am very excited and thankful to receive this award, and I look forward to continuing to work in the Lo Sardo lab on this very exciting project.
Natasha Méndez-Albelo
PhD Student
Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology
Zhao Lab, Waisman Center
Project Description:
My thesis project aims to understand the role of the brain-enriched RNA binding protein Fragile X autosomal homolog 1 (FXR1) in the development of human neurons. FXR1 is crucial for development because its loss of function is intolerant in humans and causes neonatal death in mice. FXR1 has been associated with a number of brain disorders including autism, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. However, the role of FXR1 in human brain development has not been investigated. Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that have either FXR1 knockdown or knockout, I have found that FXR1 deficiency leads to reduced proliferation of neural progenitor cells and impaired morphological and electrical maturation of cortical excitatory neurons. The next step of my project is to investigate the underlying mechanism using transcriptomics.
Trainee Statement:
I am grateful and excited to receive this predoctoral award from SCRMC. I believe that this award will help me to advance my project and provide me with opportunities to explore new collaborations at UW-Madison. In addition, this award will significantly strengthen my professional growth as a stem cell biologist.
Matthew L. Russo, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Bhattacharyya Lab
Project Description:
Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability, but very little is known about what causes this intellectual disability. One potential explanation is that the formation of synapses, the points at which neurons communicate with one another, is disrupted during brain development in individuals with Down syndrome. The aim of my project is to determine what factors drive disrupted synapse development in Down syndrome.
Trainee Statement:
I am excited to receive this award because I am eager to engage more with the SCRMC community. I am excited to work with other postdoctoral and graduate student fellows in the SCRMC, as I believe it will substantially enrich my experience at UW-Madison.
Sam Dettle
Graduate Student
Slukvin Lab
Project Description:
I am a chemistry major who was planning on going to medical school. In my gap year I worked in the Slukvin Lab on projects involving human and Non-Human Primate Hematopoiesis. I enjoyed the research so much that I switched my life plans and applied to graduate school under Dr. Slukvin. At the same point in time, I had gotten interested developing a protocol to derive hematopoietic stem cells from iPSCs, after attending a conference in Seattle focusing on translational stem cell hematopoiesis. My last year and a half of work has been focused on developing reporter cell lines in human and non-human primates along with a high throughput protocol screening system capable of identifying the proper cell culture conditions that yield engraftable hematopoietic stem cells from human and non-human primate iPSCs.
Trainee Statement:
I am excited to have received the SCRMC award as it has allowed me to pursue this project full time as well as has freed up funds to acquire an automated liquid handler robot which I’ve had the pleasure of coding this last month and a half. Additionally, I’m excited to get involved more with the SCRMC group here on campus in organizing events and other outreach events.