Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
Title: Noninvasive Preconditioning of Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Improve Potency for Bone Repair.
The goal of this project is to determine whether modulation of biomechanical signals or cellular senescence will enhance the performance of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in bone healing. Dr. Samsonraj joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (UAF) as an Assistant Professor in 2020. She performed her postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Andre van Wijnen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Samsonraj is the first CMDR Project Leader not located at UAMS. However, she is not the first non-UAMS junior investigator supported by the Center. Nicholas Greene, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation at UAF who received start-up funds and mentoring from the CMDR supporting his successful effort to obtain an R01. Dr. Greene serves as one of Dr. Samsonraj’s mentors based on his expertise in biomechanical signaling and his experience in mentoring. Maria Almeida, Ph.D., (Associate Director of the CMDR) serves as Dr. Samsonraj’s other mentor. Dr. Almeida is an acknowledged leader in the role of cellular senescence associated with the decline of bone formation with age. Her experience in detecting senescence and in identifying the signaling pathways controlling it in osteoblast-lineage cells will significantly increase the likelihood of success for Dr. Samsonraj’s studies.