Holly Wobma
Holly is an MD-PhD student at Columbia University in New York. She recently (2011) completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences Honours Degree from the University of Calgary, where she pursued research related to nanotechnology and regenerative medicine. In addition to research, she enjoys participating in science outreach roles. Previously, she contributed to an award-winning Nanoscience animation produced by the Science Alberta Foundation (“Do You Know What Nano Means?”), and served on the board of directors for the Canadian Institute for Photonic Innovations Student Network.
Posts by: Holly
Oldies but still goodies: how we continue to transform the field of haematopoietic stem cells
“A Rat’s Past Lives, a Giraffe and Bull” depicts the interaction between the extracellular matrix and differentiated hematopoietic stem cells. Image by Elizabeth Cambridge from the Cells I See library . If you Google the term “stem cells”, you will be inundated by search results that range from the expected to the truly bizarre. For…Read more
Rejuvenation therapy for our aging T-cells (and what it may mean to cancer treatment)
It is said that with age comes “wisdom”; however, I often think that “exhaustion” might serve as a reasonable substitute. As we deal with life’s stresses, and new hairs sprout of snowy white hues, it is hard not to think of our younger days of freedom and vitality. If I could anthropomorphize a cell, I…Read more
How to “micro” manage your injured heart
When we accidentally burn ourselves while cooking or nick our fingers on a piece of paper, most of us experience a fleeting moment of irritation but never worry that the wound won’t heal. Our everyday lives have taught us that skin is a tissue with great regenerative capability. Unfortunately, the merits of self-healing seem to…Read more
Redefining a cure: What a stem cell therapy for HIV reminds us about clinical translation
With over 34 million people living with HIV, of which only the fortunate have continual access to life-saving anti-retroviral drugs, it comes as no surprise that the recent media announcement of a potential “cure” for HIV went rapidly…well…viral. The excitement spurred from the XIX International AIDS Conference held in Washington DC (July 22-27, 2012) during…Read more
If Gandhi were a stem cell, which would he be?
My guess…is an HSC (hematopoietic stem cell). Because although these cells aren’t known for their civil disobedience, they do have a certain knack for making people more tolerant. In fact, that’s why Dr. Megan Sykes, Director of the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, finds them so interesting. She wants to use these cells to teach…Read more
