Millipore allocates funding to stem cell researcher

Millipore has named stem cell researcher Dr Sangeeta Bhatia as the first recipient of the Millipore Seed Grant Fellowship.

Established in partnership with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, the grant is to be used to support Dr Bhatia’s research in the area of embryonic stem cell differentiation.

Geoffrey Crouse, the vice-president of Millipore’s life science business unit, said the firm has been impressed with the researcher’s "groundbreaking research" which combines cell biology and micro-engineering.

"Her work will help advance the promising field of stem cell research by increasing our understanding of the mechanisms of stem cell differentiation," he remarked.

"This type of research could lead to breakthrough therapies for a whole host of medical conditions," he continued noting that Millipore believes stem cells are "critical" to improving drug safety and addressing major human health issues.

Dr Bhatia is a biomedical engineer in the department of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a professor of health sciences and technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.