Juhi Samal, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is a recent recipient of the COMET™ from the Heersink School of Medicine Immunology Institute for her proposed study, “Immune Cell Sialoglycan Signatures in Ischemic Stroke.”
This grant is an initiative by the Immunology Institute and the school’s I-4ward strategic focus area to support research using the Lunaphore COMET™ multiplex immunofluorescent platform. The grant aims to enhance understanding of cell interactions within tissues by prioritizing proposals based on their technical feasibility, potential to advance knowledge, and immediate applicability of the generated data in upcoming grants or manuscript submissions.
The response to the grant call was highly competitive, with 29 applications received. They have awarded four vouchers, each worth up to $20,000, to fund experiments conducted on this platform.
“Using this grant, we aim to optimize an antibody-lectin COMET panel to map spatial glycosylation signatures of immune cells, including microglia, in a mouse stroke model,” said Samal. “Ultimately, we want to investigate the changes in these glycan patterns in response to glycan-targeting therapeutic interventions and their impact on the immune-cell phenotype and function.”
The goal is to use COMET multiplex imaging to understand how the sugar or glycan patterns of brain immune cells change in mice that have had a stroke. Samal and her team plan to map these glycan patterns and see how they change with treatments that target glycosylation, ultimately understanding how these changes affect the behavior and function of the immune cells.
Through her research work, she has also honed exceptional leadership and mentorship skills. These skills were further enhanced by her recent completion of the SAIL program, which has positively influenced her work.
“SAIL has a skillfully curated program to support the personal and professional development of junior faculty and equip us with strategies to be effective academic leaders,” said Samal. “The strategies and challenges discussed in the program have positively influenced my mentoring style for my trainees and mentees. This program fosters a sense of community within the participating faculty, and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate.”
Samal sees mentorship as a vital part of her work in the field of Biomedical Engineering.
“Being an academic in a field that advances the health for everyone, there is a crucial need to build an environment and profession that includes everyone,” said Samal. “I could not possibly overstate the role my mentors played in every stage of my academic career and how that helped me navigate the hidden curriculum to get to where I now have the privilege to pay it forward. To the best of my ability, I aim to offer support in sharing skills and strategies to navigate this competitive academic system with my mentees.”