PHILIPSBURG:--- Juda-El Jno Baptiste-Sam has recently been awarded for the top-scoring European abstract by the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT). The announcement was made prior to the ISCT conference held this year in New Orleans. Sam also presented the work at the conference during a session on tissue engineering, embryonic Organs, and tissue-specific stem cells. ISCT hosts one of the largest gatherings of industry experts and academics with the common goal of advancing the development and manufacturing of cell and gene therapies. Sam’s research was about taking a very promising tissue engineering technology called organoid culturing (taking primary cells and creating 3D structures that mimic the function and the structure of the native tissue) and scaling it up to produce clinically relevant numbers of cells for therapeutic purposes. This work was made possible through the collaborative effort between Utrecht University and Scinus Cell Expansion, where Sam is employed.
Sam currently works as a senior process development engineer in the Netherlands and has a strong background in Medical Biology and Life Sciences. Her abstract is titled, “Mass Scale Liver Organoid Expansion in an Automated Bioreactor Moving Towards Clinical Viable Numbers for Cell Therapy”. She noted that it is one the most significant gatherings for her industry, providing networking opportunities for researchers, clinicians and a range of industry leaders. ISCT was established in 1992 with the vision to “improve lives through safe and effective cell and gene therapies.”
Sam’s science journey began with a dream of becoming a general surgeon. “For as long as I can remember that was going to be my path because I was always fascinated with biology and the medical field” she stated. However, she was pulled by life sciences and delved into scientific research. Sam expressed that research wasn’t a field she was exposed to growing up and was curious enough to leap into it.
While studying for her Bachelor of Science degree, Sam completed internships where she would be expected to study diseases on a molecular level. “This is when I fell in love and realized that from this discipline I could help make a major impact in human health by working to understand, prevent, and possibly treat human diseases,” she stated. That led her to continue her education with a Master’s in medical biology, and now she is working in the field focused on regenerative medicine via cell-based products.
Sam encourages young St. Maarten students not to allow anyone to define them and determine their capabilities. “Look at the world around you and find where there are needs to be filled.” She said, “An individual’s path may not resemble those they’ve seen before, so we should not allow fear to keep us from navigating our individual journeys”. She ended by saying, “So far, so much of my journey has been a surprise to me because I never really had a plan B. I am not ashamed to say that I am still learning and open to seeing where I go next. I dare to release control to God, letting Him guide the rest of my path.”