A fellowship from the American Heart Association will help a biomedical engineering doctoral student advance his research into more effective methods of stem cell production.

Christofer Baldwin was awarded $62,000 through the AHA's Predoctoral Fellowship program.

The research focuses on producing stem-cell-derived cells that can help repair damage in the cardiovascular system.

Baldwin is advised by Raj Rao, professor and head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

As part of ongoing research in Rao's lab, Baldwin is working to more effectively produce stem cells that can be transformed into smooth muscle cells. Those cells can be used to increase regeneration of damaged tissue.

The work is aimed at repairing abdominal aortic aneurysms, which are a swelling of the main blood vessel that leads away from the heart and through the body. Though rare, a ruptured aneurysm can cause serious internal bleeding, which is often fatal. 

Baldwin's focus is on developing a bioreactor system to more efficiently produce stem cells that can repair the blood vessel. With current technology, producing enough stem cells to effectively treat the issue is costly and time consuming.  Traditional culture techniques require single-use containers, and with respect to upscale growth are not cost effective and are more susceptible to contamination.  This research aims to decrease the cost of producing therapeutic cells, so these therapies can be more affordable and accessible to the patients who need them.

Baldwin said the funding is a chance to use his research to make a real-world impact.

"It's a great opportunity to work with the American Heart Association and to develop a new technology that could potentially affect a lot of patients in the future," he said.  "I'm very interested in research that I can move to industry, where it can have a direct translation from developing a product to helping patients."

Local AHA officials also praised the partnership.

"It's exciting to see the innovations and advancements that are happening in our community," said Serena Munns, executive director of the American Heart Association-Northwest Arkansas. "The AHA is proud to support Christofer's research and continuing to fund life-saving, meritorious work that can be shared for global medical advancements.

Raj Rao, professor and department head of biomedical engineering, said the award reflected well on Baldwin and the department. 

"Christofer's receipt of the AHA predoctoral fellowship is an indication of the significance of the ongoing cardiovascular research programs in the department," he said. "It also demonstrates the caliber of our doctoral students and the support from AHA is greatly appreciated."

Additional details of the biomedical engineering cardiovascular research programs can be found on the Cardiovascular Research page.