Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold substantial promise for regenerative therapies, particularly for skeletal repair, yet inconsistent potency and scalability remain major barriers to clinical translation. Our research addresses that challenge across three connected fronts: identifying predictive biomarkers, understanding the biomechanical signals that control MSC fate, and developing scalable biomanufacturing strategies for MSC-derived products. Quantitative criteria for MSC potency were established, including validation of a genomic biomarker that predicts stem cell scalability and senescence phenotype, offering a practical screening tool for donor and cell-line selection. These findings inform ongoing biomanufacturing of MSC-derived extracellular vesicles as a minimally manipulated, scalable alternative to cell-based therapy, and rececnt NIH-funded work testing whether noninvasive biomechanical preconditioning and modulation of cellular senescence can improve MSC potency for bone repair. Together, these studies illustrate an integrated pipeline — from molecular biomarker to bioprocess — for developing safer, more effective, and more reproducible stem cell-based therapies for skeletal regeneration.
Rebekah M. Samsonraj, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, where she directs the Cellular Therapy and Biomanufacturing Laboratory, and an Adjunct Basic Science Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She holds a joint Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the National University of Singapore and the A*STAR Institute of Medical Biology, and completed postdoctoral training at Mayo Clinic before serving as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and Research Faculty at the University of Oregon's Knight Campus. Her research focuses on developing safe, effective, and scalable mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapies — including genomic biomarkers of MSC potency, epigenetic regulation of osteogenic differentiation, and biomanufacturing of MSC-derived extracellular vesicles for bone repair. Her work has been funded by NSF, NIH, and several other foundations and she was named RoosterBio "MSC Rising Star" for her work on stem cell potency.
