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Arin Sen, PhD'03 (Chemical Engineering)
Scaling up adult stem cells
Head of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at Schulich delights in “developing solutions”
Professor Arindom Sen, PhD, is used to talking about how his research into bioprocessing adult stem cells fits within the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering.
“Chemical engineers develop processes,” says the head of the department and member of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health. “They find ways to take some kind of initial raw material and turn it into a valuable final product. And one of the things they're very good at is scaling up.”
Sen and his team develop biomanufacturing processes to scale a small number of adult stem cells into the billions of cells required to repair damaged tissue. “We find ways to control the environment in which the cells divide, which means we control things like the temperature, the oxygen level, the amount of nutrients, the mixing rate,” he says.
“It’s relatively easy to do it in a small dish, but it's very hard to do in a large bioreactor—which is the only way to efficiently scale up the production of these cells.”
Arin Sen, PhD'03 (Chemical Engineering)
Head, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Sen started his academic career with a BSc in cellular, molecular and microbial biology at UCalgary. Looking to apply that knowledge, he did a second BSc in chemical engineering at University of Alberta before completing his Masters and PhD at UCalgary, where he has worked ever since.
His lab is also working in a “relatively new field” focused on exosomes, the bioactive nanoparticles produced and released by cells. “We have evidence to suggest that exosomes produced by stem cells may play a crucial role in repairing and regenerating damaged or diseased tissues,” he says.
If researchers can develop robust processes to manufacture and isolate exosomes in large quantities, they could potentially be used therapeutically. “There's a huge amount of engineering that needs to be done to reach this goal,” says Sen. For one thing, there is no standard method to isolate exosomes. One of Sen’s recently graduated PhD students, Sara Hassanpour-Tamrin, developed a device to isolate and concentrate exosomes, the first technology of its kind.
In his role as department head, Sen relishes the myriad of research in chemical and petroleum engineering, from artificial intelligence in energy systems, new developments in producing and using hydrogen, finding solutions for cleaner air and water or developing materials to make better batteries. “It's fun to see the stuff that comes out of here,” he says. “We have a very exciting, dynamic department. All the projects that we do are so relevant to improving quality of life and creating a more sustainable world.”
Over his years at Schulich, he’s also been associate dean of both Student Professional Development and Student Affairs. And he’s delighted in seeing increasing diversity, not just in the student population, but how and what students are taught and the perspectives they’re given about being an engineer—from how to move ideas forward, consult stakeholders and think ahead to commercializing research that betters the world.
“Engineers are supposed to solve problems and help humanity,” he says. “That is what we do. It's great being in that kind of environment.”