Navin Mahadevan
 Navin Mahadevan |
Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar
Media Profile
“The role of renal progenitor cells in regeneration and repair in response to kidney tissue damage is poorly understood. Current approaches to treatment of kidney disease are limited to whole organ transplantation or dialysis, neither of which provide a satisfactory solution.”
Navin is one of twenty Americans to be granted a Fulbright Postgraduate Award in 2005. As a graduate of Washington University, specialising in Biology, Navin will work with Professor Martin Pera, Director of the Embryonic Stem Cell Platform at the Australian Stem Cell Centre and the Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Biology, part of the Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR) at Monash University in Melbourne.
In Australia, Navin will conduct research aiming to derive kidney progenitor cells from human embryonic stem cells (HESC), for prospective use in cell-replacement therapy for patients with renal disease.
Australia is one of the world leaders in HESC research. In 2001, President Bush restricted the availability of available federal funds for the derivation of new stem cell lines. This policy, in turn, has hampered U.S. scientists’ capacity to continue performing breakthrough research in stem cell therapies. In contrast, under Australia’s ‘Research Involving Human Embryo Act’ of 2002, excess human embryos from in vitro fertilisation clinics can be used to derive new HESC lines within strict ethical and scientific guidelines. More specifically, Dr. Pera’s lab has already distinguished itself in the field of HESC research, being the second group in the world to maintain HESC in culture, and the first lab to ever successfully derive neural progenitor cells.
“Renal disease affects millions of people worldwide,” Navin explains. “In the United States, it was the ninth leading cause of death amongst adults in 2001. Through working with Australian specialists and the remarkable potential of HESC, I hope to one day create a longer-lasting cure for kidney disease.”
With the resources available at Dr. Pera’s laboratory, Navin will use cell culture, immunocytochemistry, and RNA transcript analysis to identify