Kaitlyn Georgiana (’24) wants to turn personal tragedy into breakthrough stem cell research for expectant mothers and babies.
She will develop technology that could provide a cure for babies who are diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) or brittle bone disease. Brittle bone disease is a rare genetic disorder where bones fracture easily with no obvious cause or injury and is present at birth.
“When I was a CNA, one of my best friends had a stillbirth in her second trimester after her baby had been diagnosed with OI,” says the North Mankato, Minn., native. “It was very, very hard to watch her go through that, but knowing there have been efforts to treat the disease in utero became very inspiring for me.”
Georgiana graduated from NWU with a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and has been accepted into the Regenerative and Stem Cell Technologies masters program at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.
She says she and her classmates will lead groundbreaking research to help develop treatments for babies before they are born. “Regenerative and stem cell technology is considered the new frontier for medical treatment and gene therapies," she says. “There is some research that indicates that stem cells can be used to treat OI, which is significant since treatments are extremely limited.”
Georgiana says she will be able to create her own tests and protocols in a state-of-the-art environment at Johns Hopkins. After completing her masters, she says she will work towards her doctorate.