Doors could soon open wider for cell-based therapies, thanks to research underway in the University of Houston lab of Dr. Sergey Shevkoplyas, associate professor of biomedical engineering.

With funding from a Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas grant, Shevkoplyas and his research team are seeking to revolutionize the first step in a patient’s individualized cell-based treatment: the harvesting of T-cells from the patient’s blood.

UH graduate students inspire each other with accomplishments

UH biomedical engineering doctoral student Nathaniel Piety, who studies under Associate Professor Sergey Shevkoplyas, has been awarded for his work by the AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks) at the AABB Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida in October.

Nathaniel Piety, a biomedical engineering doctoral student at the UH Cullen College of Engineering, was recently awarded an American Heart Association (AHA) Predoctoral Fellowship.

It’s no secret that blood transfusions save millions of lives every year. According to the American Red Cross, just one pint of donated blood can save up to three lives. And yet, the blood transfusion process is still not without flaws – in addition to healthy blood cells, transfused blood can also contain harmful materials such as the anticoagulant-preservative solution used to keep the cells alive during storage.

Building an entirely new academic program has its benefits. Sure, some parts of the job can be difficult – handling everything from faculty searches to office supply orders is enough to make anyone’s head spin. But there’s a reason a clean slate is so valuable: you can write anything you want on it.