Dr. Michelle Dawson, assistant professor in the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech, has been named a recipient of two research grants for her work in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs are bone marrow-derived adult stem cells that are involved in wound healing and tissue regeneration.

The first award is sponsored by the Georgia Tech and Emory Center for Regenerative Medicine (GTEC) for a project to study new approaches for engineering MSCs to increase the rate and effectiveness for healing wounds. The award is funded in part by the Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI) and provides funding for one year. ACTSI is an inter-institutional magnet that brings together research investigators, community clinicians, professional societies, and industry partners to collaborate on clinical and translational research projects. Emory, Atlanta–Morehouse School of Medicine, and Georgia Tech form the ACTSI inter-institutional partnership.

Dr. Dawson’s study will be focused on the optimization of MSC migration in the wound bed. Dr. Dawson says that “increased migration of locally infused MSCs may lead to more rapid wound closure since MSCs produce granulation tissue that may constrict the wound.” Dr. Dawson’s lab is also focused on genetically engineering MSCs to overexpress vascular endothelial growth factor, which will be used to promote wound healing by increasing blood vessel formation. Growth factor replacement is a standard treatment for chronic wounds. Dr. Dawson postulates that VEGF-expressing MSCs could serve as an alternative to growth factor replacement therapies, which are extremely expensive and sometimes ineffective due to obstacles in protein drug delivery.

The second award, a Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grant in Engineering (BRIGE) is sponsored by the Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) Division of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The BRIGE funding, a two-year award, will be used to determine how microscopic mechanical properties contribute to MSC mobility. Using quantitative real-time microscopy techniques, including particle tracking microrheology and time-lapsed fluorescent microscopy, the effects of tumor-secreted soluble factors on intracellular rheology, cytoskeletal organization, and cell adhesion molecule expression will be monitored. Together these techniques will be used to identify the mechanical and adhesive properties of migratory MSCs. Dr. Dawson says that the mobility of infused MSCs is limited by changes in their morphology after in vitro expansion. “The proposed studies will provide fundamental information that will be used to optimize the migratory behavior of expanded MSCs,” she explains.

Dr. Dawson joined the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering in 2008 after completing a postdoctoral appointment at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She received her doctoral degree from The Johns Hopkins University in 2005 and her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Tech University in 1999. She is the recipient of a 2009 Georgia Cancer Coalition Breast Cancer Research Award.