May 27, 2022
草莓污视频导航 student鈥檚 stem cell research paper wins national award
Tiffany Dang has a passion for helping others.
The 草莓污视频导航 PhD student, who has always wanted to work in the health field, found her calling after completing her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, with a specialization in biomedical engineering.
Her research is focused on stem-cell bioprocessing which, she says, has major implications for helping people with diseases such as diabetes and osteoarthritis by allowing scientists to fine-tune how they control the cells for safe and effective treatment.
A paper related to this topic, on which she was lead author, was recently named the 2022 winner of . The paper was a collaboration between her lab and a southern California biotechnology company called PBS Biotech.
Dang鈥檚 co-authors on the award-winning paper with 草莓污视频导航 connections were Dr. Breanna S. Borys, BSc (Eng)鈥16, PhD鈥22; Shivek Kanwar, BSC (Eng)鈥21; James Colter, BSc (Eng)鈥17; Tareq Hossan; Dr. Derrick E. Rancourt, PhD; Dr. Michael S. Kallos, BSc (Eng)鈥95, PhD鈥99; and, now working with PBS Biotech, Dr. Sunghoon Jung, MSc鈥03, PhD鈥09. Other co-authors included Hannah Worden, Abigail Blatchford and Brian Lee of PBS and Reno-based consultant Dr. Matthew S. Croughan, PhD.
Rising to the challenge
Dang鈥檚 article was first published by the CJCE in July 2021 鈥 an accomplishment by its own merits.
鈥淚 was so excited when it was accepted for publication,鈥 says the alumna, BSc (Eng)鈥20. 鈥淚 considered that already a huge win because we really wanted to show how traditional (engineering) principles could be applied to a field such as stem-cell manufacturing.鈥
Dang admits she wasn鈥檛 expecting to win the award, as writing the paper was challenging and the reviewers asked many tough questions.
鈥淚 was completely, genuinely shocked and so excited,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 actually had to forward the email to my supervisor to confirm it because I could not believe it.鈥
Realizing her potential
Dang鈥檚 research paper focused on using a traditional engineering tool, computational fluid dynamics modelling, to better understand how the geometry of a vertical-wheel bioreactor affects the overall growth and behaviour of stem cells.
鈥淥ne of the most significant challenges is translating laboratory-based protocols towards large-scale manufacturing to meet the demand in terms of cell numbers,鈥 says Dang. 鈥淎lthough it may seem simple to translate these protocols from the bench to the bedside, there are many interplaying factors which require engineering knowledge to understand.鈥
Not only did the award provide validation for her paper, but Dang believes it also shows that she is on the right track when it comes to her passion.
She鈥檚 no stranger to receiving accolades, having received the Rona Hatt Chemical Engineering Leadership Award, the TENET Medical Engineering Scholarship, and the Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship. She says:
I think the best way to improve the health-care system is through interdisciplinary research, as it brings about innovation. It allows you to work with a wide range of experts including doctors, clinicians, stem cell biologists, and engineers in order to push the frontiers of this field.
As she studies for her candidacy exams, Dang is also working in 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 , finalizing a couple of projects with hopes of publishing her findings within the next year.
She says both projects are about better understanding the interplay between biological factors and the bioreactor environment, and how that relationship affects large-scale biomanufacturing of human-induced pluripotent stem cells.
鈥淢y goal is to continue learning as much as I can from my mentors and lab mates,鈥 Dang says. 鈥淯ltimately, I hope to use my degree to change the biomanufacturing and bioprocessing landscape in Canada and make Calgary home to many companies in this space.鈥
The 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 multidisciplinary research strategy drives innovations that are saving lives and revolutionizing health care for Canadians. With collaborative teams focused on human mobility, health monitoring, advanced biomedical imaging, precision biodiagnostics, regenerative medicine and novel medical technologies, our researchers are transforming quality of life and continuously improving the health system.