{"688211":{"#nid":"688211","#data":{"type":"news","title":"2026 Awardees Announced for Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center Collaborative Seed Grant ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAdvancing the frontiers of regenerative medicine means more than pushing scientific boundaries \u2014 it means improving and extending human life. The Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.regenerativeengineeringandmedicine.com\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EREM\u003C\/a\u003E) is a partnership with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.emory.edu\/home\/index.html\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEmory University\u003C\/a\u003E, and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.uga.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EUniversity of Georgia\u003C\/a\u003E (UGA) that supports this mission through inter-institutional collaborations in research in regenerative medicine.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince 2010, competitive peer-reviewed seed grants have been awarded annually to interdisciplinary teams with representation from at least two of the three institutions, leading to clinical trials, licensed technologies, start-up companies, and external funding for additional research. The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/bio\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EIBB\u003C\/a\u003E) is excited to announce the 2026 REM Collaborative Seed Grant awardees: Melissa Kemp (Georgia Tech) and Rabindra Tirouvanziam (Emory); Yang Liu (UGA) and Yong Teng (Emory); and Steven Stice (UGA) and Zhexing Wen (Emory).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKemp and Tirouvanziam were awarded funding for their proposal, \u201cPredicting Personalized Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Responses for Directed Myeloid\u2011Targeted Immunotherapy.\u201d Their project combines computer modeling and lab\u2011grown lung tissue to better understand how immune cells communicate during lung infections and inflammation in different people. This research could help scientists design more precise, patient\u2011specific therapies for respiratory diseases, potentially improving treatments for conditions ranging from viral infections to chronic inflammation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We are grateful for the support from REM that allows us to extend our labs into new, interdisciplinary research,\u201d Kemp said. \u201cThis pilot project will allow us to develop and experimentally validate multicellular models of the lung environment. Our goal is to use our platforms to test potential therapeutics that operate by controlling communication between cell types.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt is wonderful to be supported by REM for this collaboration between Georgia Tech and Emory labs,\u201d Tirouvanziam agreed. \u201cWe hope to turn this pilot into a large extramural project with a focus on novel immunotherapy.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELiu and Teng were awarded funding for their proposal, \u201cAI\u2011Guided Profiling of Migratory Cancer Stem Cell Communication in Head and Neck Cancer.\u201d\u0026nbsp; Their project aims to uncover how the most aggressive cancer stem cells move and \u201ctalk\u201d to nearby immune and tissue cells, using advanced microfluidic tools and artificial intelligence to study how these cells help cancer spread and resist treatment.\u0026nbsp; Understanding these hidden communication pathways could lead to earlier detection of dangerous cancer cell types and inspire new therapies that prevent recurrence and improve survival for patients with head and neck cancer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe combine microfluidic tools with artificial intelligence to monitor individual cancer cells in action and study how they interact with the immune microenvironment \u2014 capturing behaviors that are missed in bulk experiments and shedding light on how aggressive cancer cells escape therapy,\u201d Liu said of the project.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStice and Wen were awarded funding for their application, \u201cUse of Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Organoids to Assess Mesenchymal Stromal Cell\u2013Derived Extracellular Vesicles Mechanism of Action.\u201d\u0026nbsp; Their project uses lab\u2011grown human brain organoids to study how tiny therapeutic particles called extracellular vesicles that are released by stem cells might reduce brain inflammation and protect neurons affected by Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u0026nbsp; Revealing how these vesicles work at a molecular level could help advance new treatments that go beyond symptom management and move toward slowing or preventing Alzheimer\u2019s progression.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are used in the body to communicate with cells around an injury and are known to repair brain tissue in Alzheimer\u2019s animal models,\u201d Stice said.\u0026nbsp; \u201cUnderstanding the signaling mechanisms used by EVs in Alzheimer\u2019s brain organoids will directly lead to better EV manufacturing processes and potency for neurodegenerative diseases, and ultimately better therapies.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u2019s funded work illustrates how collaboration across institutions accelerates discoveries. Together, these teams are pushing healing technologies closer to real\u2011world impact, where they can make a tangible difference for patients affected by serious illness.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003EThe 2026 Regenerative Engineering and Medicine (REM) Collaborative Seed Grants have been awarded to three interdisciplinary research teams from Georgia Tech, Emory University, and the University of Georgia, supporting innovative projects in personalized immunotherapy, cancer metastasis, and Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Together, these collaborations advance the frontiers of regenerative medicine and accelerate the development of next\u2011generation therapies with the potential to transform patient care.\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The 2026 awards support three cross\u2011institutional teams advancing innovative research in personalized immunotherapy, cancer stem cell communication, and therapies for Alzheimer\u2019s disease. "}],"uid":"36479","created_gmt":"2026-02-11 21:18:14","changed_gmt":"2026-02-11 21:26:17","author":"abowman41","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-02-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-02-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679264":{"id":"679264","type":"image","title":"cancer-technologies.jpeg","body":null,"created":"1770845087","gmt_created":"2026-02-11 21:24:47","changed":"1770845087","gmt_changed":"2026-02-11 21:24:47","alt":"Illustration of cancer cells, with a highlighted tumor cell in the center targeted by a digital crosshair.","file":{"fid":"263397","name":"cancer-technologies.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/11\/cancer-technologies.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/11\/cancer-technologies.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":8956181,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/11\/cancer-technologies.jpeg?itok=SCsWPN9q"}}},"media_ids":["679264"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAshlie Bowman | Communications Program Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ashlie.bowman@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}