Alex Bryan, a senior at DH Conley High School, completed an Honors Med Project in the Cell Based Therapy and Tissue Engineering Laboratory in 2010-2011. Alex’s project included working with components of a system to control the microenvironment of cells in vitro. The first part of his project was to repair an oxygen analyzer routinely used to sample and monitor levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The second part involved the design and fabrication of a hypoxic chamber for use in a cell culture incubator. Alex worked with two ECU undergraduate engineering majors, Kelsey Long and Seth Cunningham to complete this successful project. Both components are used in the laboratory to study the effects of a low oxygen environment on stem cell proliferation and differentiation. Alex will attend East Carolina University to study Engineering, Class of 2015.

Shown below, engineering students Kelsey and Seth help Alex assemble hypoxic chamber shown in incubator.

Arun Ajmera: Undergraduate Education: B.S. Biology and B.A. Chemistry, East Carolina University, Class of 2013. Early assurance Scholar for Brody School of Medicine, Class of 2017.

Arun is exploring the relationship between increased mitochondrial content, oxidative capacity and the role of mitochondrial physiology on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) differentiation into cardiomyocytes. Examining the role of mitochondria in hMSC survival and differentiation is crucial for developing more effective cell based therapies in cardiac tissue regeneration. Arun presented a poster entitled "The Effects of Growth Factors on Mitochondrial Physiology of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells" at the Research and Creative Achievement week and Internal Medicine Research day, 2011.