MNBRIDGE

DOS Awarded Funding from Regenerative Medicine Minnesota

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Sophie Hergott, Student Communications and Marketing Assistant
1 minute

The Department of Surgery has received $1.99 million from Regenerative Medicine Minnesota for Minnesota BRIDGE (Boosting Regenerative Medicine Innovation through Development, Growth, and Engagement). This initiative, led by Drs. Melanie Graham and Sab Ramachandran, accelerates the transition of regenerative medicine therapies into human clinical trials.


By leveraging specialized expertise, MN-BRIDGE advances nonhuman primate (NHP) modeling and workforce development, de-risks innovation, supports the entire preclinical pipeline, and ensures a sustainable future for the field—transforming promising research into life-saving treatments.
 

The DOS is leading this initiative involving the following: 

  • PreClinical Research Center (PCRC) with program leads: Jody Janecek, Luke Mutch, Jade Wilder, Dr. Laura Hocum Stone, and Dr. Scott Oppler.
  • The Primate Immunobiology Core with program lead Partha Rangarajan 

  • The Experimental Surgical Services (ESS) led by Dr. John Carney and QA directed by Gwen Kocher

    And partnership with subject matter experts across Surgery, Corporate Engagement and Tech Com, CVM—Comparative Pathology, Stem Cell Institute, the Hormel Institute Molecular Engineering and Viral Vectors, Biomedical Engineering, and the Biostatistical Design and Analysis Center in coordination with Dr. Ben Langworthy.

    This funding strengthens research, trains future experts, and helps turn cutting-edge science into real-world therapies. The Department of Surgery is excited to work with Minnesota BRIDGE to make a lasting impact on regenerative medicine and patient care.