Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia is first recipient of major grant to the Harvard Stem Cell Institute
Billerica, Massachusetts—July 29, 2008—Millipore Corporation, a Life Science leader providing technologies, tools and services for bioscience research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, today named acclaimed stem cell researcher Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia as the first recipient of the Millipore Seed Grant Fellowship, recently established in partnership with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI).
In 2008, Dr. Bhatia will receive $100,000 of the $500,000 Millipore grant to HSCI announced last September and is eligible for continued funding in 2009. The funds will be used to support her innovative research in the area of embryonic stem cell differentiation.
“We are impressed with Dr. Bhatia’s groundbreaking research, which combines cell biology and micro-engineering,” said Geoffrey Crouse, Vice President, Life Science Business Unit, Millipore Corporation. “Her work will help advance the promising field of stem cell research by increasing our understanding of the mechanisms of stem cell differentiation. This type of research could lead to break-through therapies for a whole host of medical conditions. Millipore is committed to advancing life science research. We believe stem cells are critical to improving drug safety and ultimately addressing major human health issues.”
“I’m honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Dr. Bhatia. “Having support and recognition from the corporate community is imperative, and brings us closer to our goal of curing life-threatening diseases such as cancer. I applaud Millipore for its commitment to stem cell research.”
Dr. Bhatia currently serves as a biomedical engineer in the department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass. and as professor of health sciences and technology, and electrical engineering and computer science, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Mass. She is the recipient of many accolades and awards, including the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellowship, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Y. C. Fung Young Investigator Award and the International Society of BioMEMS & Biomedical; Nanotechnology Scientific Leadership Award. Dr. Bhatia earned her M.D. at Harvard Medical School and doctorate in biomedical engineering and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT, and a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Brown University.
The Millipore Seed Grant Fellowship was established in September, 2007, to direct the funding of Millipore’s five-year, $500,000 grant to HSCI. Each year, beginning in 2008, $100,000 will be earmarked for a Harvard-affiliated seed grant recipient, selected from a list of candidates provided by HSCI.
The HSCI gift is Millipore’s first major grant aimed at promoting stem cell research. A second grant, for $150,000, was recently awarded to a scientist at the Scripps Research Institute of CaliforniaSOURCE