Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Pratt School of Engineering,
Department of Cell Biology,
Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering,
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Dr. Samira Musah is a stem cell biologist and a medical bioengineer. Her work has focused on the development of novel methods to direct the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells and engineering of microphysiological systems (organs-on-chips or tissue chips and bioactive materials). She was recruited to Duke University with a joint appointment in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Medicine, Division of Nephrology. Research in her laboratory aims to understand the roles of molecular and biophysical cues in human organ development and how these processes can be harnessed to understand disease mechanisms and develop new therapeutic strategies. Her lab develops differentiation methods by the identification and optimization of multiple factors (soluble, insoluble, and mechanical forces) within the stem cell niche to guide organ-specific (kidney and neuronal) lineage specification. To engineer in vitro models of human tissues and organs, her team integrates their stem cell differentiation strategies with microfluidic systems engineering, hydrogel synthesis, biofunctionalization, and three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technologies. In addition to actively publishing her work, she ensures that the technologies her team develop can be viable options for commercialization. These experiences have been instrumental in understanding how technologies from her lab could ultimately be translated to the market and advance to the clinic.
Harnessing developmental plasticity to pattern kidney organoids.
Cell stem cell 04, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 33798416
Uncovering SARS-CoV-2 kidney tropism.
Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology 08, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 33859371
A Personalized Glomerulus Chip Engineered from Stem Cell-Derived Epithelium and Vascular Endothelium.
Micromachines Aug, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 34442589
Adriamycin-Induced Podocyte Injury Disrupts the YAP-TEAD1 Axis and Downregulates Cyr61 and CTGF Expression.
ACS chemical biology Dec, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 34890187
Microfluidic systems for modeling human development.
Development (Cambridge, England) 02, 2022 | Pubmed ID: 35156682
SARS-CoV-2 Employ BSG/CD147 and ACE2 Receptors to Directly Infect Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Kidney Podocytes.
Frontiers in cell and developmental biology , 2022 | Pubmed ID: 35517495
A Biomimetic Electrospun Membrane Supports the Differentiation and Maturation of Kidney Epithelium from Human Stem Cells.
Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) Apr, 2022 | Pubmed ID: 35621466
Organoids as tools for fundamental discovery and translation-A Keystone Symposia report.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Sep, 2022 | Pubmed ID: 36177906
Translating Organoids into Artificial Kidneys.
Current transplantation reports Oct, 2022 | Pubmed ID: 36311696