Meet the recipient of the 2020 MRM-MEDA

Engineers play a critical role in optimizing and manufacturing stem cell-based therapies and other regenerative medicine products.
This why last year, the MRM Network has partnered with the Faculty of engineering for a special call of McGill Engineering Doctoral Awards.

The objective of the MRM-MEDA joint call is to support interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers and other MRM Network members.

We are happy to announce the 2020 MRM-MEDA recipient, Ms. Chisom Akunna, who is joining the lab of Prof. Marta Cerruti.

Chisom was born and raised in Nigeria. She received her B.Eng. (2018) at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources. She is passionate about solving problems prevalent in her home country. Having seen the need for advancement in the field of regenerative medicine, most especially in the areas of bone reconstruction and dental implants in the health care sector in her home country, she hopes to breach the gap with her research.

Chisom is in the process of finalizing a collaboration with the National Orthopedic Hospital Igbobi Lagos (NOHIL), Nigeria, which is the largest orthopedic hospital in West Africa. She will be working in close collaboration with doctors from this hospital to identify the most pressing issues related to surgeries and implants encountered in their practice, with a specific focus on orthopedic and dental implants. A preliminary analysis shows infections as one of the main barriers to integration between implants and surrounding tissues. Chisom will work with Prof. Cerruti and collaborators at McGill to find solutions to these problems, and others that may be identified during the project, as case studies for potential applications of regenerative medicine in the Nigerian context.

“Receiving the MRM-MEDA Award has given me a golden opportunity to help make positive contribution and impact in the health care sector in Nigeria, while allowing me to achieve my dream of acquiring an international education at a world renowned and prestigious university”.

Congratulations Chisom, we wish you every success in your project and we can’t wait to hear more about it!