A research group at Stony Brook Medicine’s Department of Surgery, led by Research Associate Professor Gurtej Singh, has secured two grants totaling $696,431 to advance their work on high-tech wound care. The funding comes from The Mathers Foundation ($646,431) and the Technology Accelerator Fund ($50,000), building upon previous seed grants awarded in 2017 and 2019 by the department.
The team focuses on tissue regeneration and improved wound healing for patients with severe injuries. Their innovative project previously won the Long Island High Tech Incubator’s 2024 Venture Champions Challenge in the Life Sciences category.
Department Chair Apostolos Tassiopoulos commented: “The Department of Surgery has supported our early career research faculty through seed grants, and the grants awarded to Dr. Singh and his team are a testament of the importance of these investments. This support will empower the research team, led by Dr. Singh, to continue pursuing innovative ideas, enhance cross-departmental collaborations and translate research findings to the next generation of therapies. We are thrilled with the demonstrated confidence to our department and remain committed to pushing the boundaries of discovery and making meaningful scientific contributions.”
Singh highlighted how initial funding was key to launching their efforts: “The seed grants from the Department of Surgery were truly the initial catalysts for our research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. They allowed us to purchase a 3D bioprinter and generate the first critical data on vascularized skin constructs. That early support made this line of research possible and directly contributed to the success of our Mathers Foundation grant.”
With new resources from these awards, Singh’s group plans to further study biological processes related to inosculation—the connection between blood vessels—and improve their design for vascularized scaffolds used in advanced healing patches. Recently, Stony Brook University’s Intellectual Property Partners filed a utility patent tied to this technology.
“At Stony Brook Surgery, our culture of collaboration between clinical and basic sciences is driving transformative research,” said Singh.
For more information about this project or updates from Stony Brook Medicine’s Department of Surgery, readers can visit their official blog.
