Junior Mary Ben A.’s scientific review paper on literature related to autologous stem cell therapy has been published in Regenerative Medicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal.

 

Last year, in her Independent Science Research (ISR) program, Mary Ben was tasked with finding a mentor in a field that interested her. The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine and particularly the link between induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology and CRISPR genome editing were areas that she wanted to learn more about.

 

“I love the fact that there is so much to explore and learn and discover in the field,” she said. “Research on induced pluripotent stem cells is only at the beginning, and I am amazed by the cutting-edge and endless possibility of stem cells.”

 

The stem cell therapy that Mary Ben focused on was autologous—meaning the cells are taken from the patient, as opposed to allogeneic, where the cells come from someone else.

 

“Autologous cell therapies are extraordinarily powerful and will continue to make exciting achievements,” Mary Ben explained. “Regenerative medicine is expected to surpass other biological strategies in inherited or acquired retinal disease in their potential to restore visual function.”

 

After pinpointing the area of research she wanted to learn more about, Mary Ben got in touch with Stephen H. Tsang, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor at Columbia University who has done groundbreaking work in stem cell research, and he invited her to Columbia Medical Center to sit in on a lecture and meet the people working in his lab. Mary Ben said this experience was thrilling; each time she stepped into the lab, she felt a sense of intrigue and excitement, and she was “filled with a sense of wonder at the innovation happening every day in the lab and around the world.”

 

Through her mentor Dr. Tsang, Mary Ben met her lab partner Jesse Sengillo, who is currently a medical student. She and Sengillo worked together for several months, outlining the paper, writing the majority of the sections and assigning others. All of the authors of the paper performed literature searches, reading hundreds of peer-reviewed articles on the topic. They also looked at current clinical trials, examined various approaches and challenges of stem cell therapy and gave their perspective on the future of autologous cellular therapies. Dr. Tsang oversaw the whole process and was the one to make the decision about submitting the paper to be published, Mary Ben said.

 

“I was thrilled that a paper I first-authored would be published in a peer-reviewed journal,” she said. “We were grateful to be accepted for publication and spent more time fine-tuning the paper until we sent in the final proofs. It was incredibly rewarding to see our hard work potentially impact others in the scientific community. Also, after reading hundreds of studies on PubMed over the last few years, it was super cool to see my name on the PubMed website!”

 

Mary Ben explained that the paper focuses on inherited and acquired retinal disease and the use of regenerative medicine, such as strategies involving autologously-derived iPSCs—which are reprogrammed from adult somatic cells—and “could be used as a source of autologous cells for transplantation for retinal diseases.”

 

“These autologously-derived cells, in principle, should not elicit an immune response, as the patient’s own cells are used,” Mary Ben explained. “However, the disease-causing mutation is still present in the iPSCs, so in order to generate healthy cells, gene-editing techniques can be used to repair patient specific molecular defects. These modified iPSCs are then differentiated to generate a particular cell type and subsequently seeded into the body where they are needed. … We conclude that despite challenges, autologous cellular therapies are reaching clinical application. The initial data shows promise and gives hope for sight restoration through cellular transplantation.”

 

While she’s not sure yet what she wants to do for a career, Mary Ben said she has some interest in becoming an astronaut. She loves science, but she also enjoys her other classes at Spence, including English, saying that reading and writing “fill [her] world with joy and beauty.”

 

In the meantime, Mary Ben said she was excited and grateful to work in the lab again this summer.

 

“Working at a lab has been an extraordinary opportunity where I have found a community and a place for deep learning and experimentation,” she said.