Samira Musah

Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering

The Musah Lab is interested in understanding how molecular signals and biophysical forces can function either synergistically or independently to guide organ development and physiology, and how these processes can be therapeutically harnessed to treat human disease. Given the escalating medical crisis in nephrology as growing number of patients suffer from kidney disease that can lead to organ failure, the Musah Lab focuses on engineering stem cell fate for applications in human kidney disease, extra-renal complications, and therapeutic development. Dr. Musah’s research interests include stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, molecular and cellular basis of human organ development and disease progression, organ engineering, patient-specific disease models, biomarker identification, therapeutic discovery, tissue and organ transplantation, microphysiological systems including Organ Chips (organs-on-chips) and organoids, matrix biology, mechanotransduction and disease biophysics.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
  • Assistant Professor in Cell Biology
  • Assistant Professor in Medicine
  • Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center
  • Member of the Duke Cancer Institute

Contact Information

Education

  • Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2013

Research Interests

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), disease mechanisms, regenerative medicine, molecular and cellular basis of human kidney development and disease, organ engineering, patient-specific disease models, biomarkers, therapeutic discovery, tissue and organ transplantation, microphysiological systems including organs-on-chips and organoids, matrix biology, mechanotransduction, mechanobiology, and disease biophysics.

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • 2025 Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE). Duke University. 2025
  • Duke BME Program Award for Inter-Lab Chalk Talks. Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University. 2024
  • HHMI Gilliam Fellowship (paired award for thesis advisor and mentee). Howard Hughes Medical Institute. 2024
  • Inducted Member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society and publisher of American Scientist. American Scientist. 2024
  • Faculty Travel Grant for Visit to Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. Duke University & Duke-NUS. 2024
  • Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) Award, Duke University. Duke University. 2023
  • NIH Director's New Innovator Award (DP2). NIH/NIDDK. 2023
  • Maclin Community Connection Grant. Duke University. 2023
  • Genentech Research Award. Genentech. 2021
  • George O’Brien Kidney Center Pilot Grant. The George M. O'Brien Kidney Translational Core Center at the University of Michigan (P30 DK081943) . 2021
  • Featured, "Women to Watch" series on RegMedNet. RegMedNet. 2021
  • Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) Award, Duke University. Duke University. 2021
  • Nature Biotechnology’s Outstanding & Trailblazing Researchers in U.S.A., Featured. Nature Biotechnology. 2021
  • Cell Stem Cell Early-Career Researchers, Featured. Cell Stem Cell. 2021
  • Functional & Molecular Genomics Core Facility Voucher Program Award. Duke University. 2020
  • Duke Incubation Fund. Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative. 2020
  • MEDx (Medicine & Engineering) Biomechanics of Injury and Injury Repair Grant. Duke MEDx Initiative. 2020
  • Whitehead Scholarship in Biomedical Research. Whitehead Foundation. 2020
  • 100 inspiring black scientists in America. Cell Press, Cell Mentor. 2020
  • Chair's Research Award. Department of Medicine, Duke University. 2019
  • Early Career Investigator Travel Award. Keystone Symposia. 2019
  • Dr. Samuel M. Nabrit Early Career Scholar. Brown University. 2019
  • CPRIT Scholar. Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas. 2018
  • Fellow. Keystone Symposia Fellowship. 2017
  • Baxter Young Investigator Award, First-Tier. Baxter International Inc.. 2017
  • MIT Rising Stars in Biomedical Engineering and Science. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2016
  • NIH/NIDDK Nephrology Research Fellowship. NIH-BIDMC . 2016
  • Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Enrichment Fellowship. Burroughs Wellcome Fund. 2015
  • UNCF-Merck Postdoctoral Science Research Fellowship. UNCF & Merck Foundation. 2014
  • Dean's Postdoctoral Fellowship. Harvard University. 2014
  • First Prize, Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research Postdoctoral Award. Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research. 2014
  • NIH Chemical-Biology Interface Training Grant. NIH. 2011
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. NSF. 2007

Courses Taught

  • ME 718S: Biological Engineering Seminar Series (CBIMMS and CBTE)
  • ME 717S: Biological Engineering Seminar Series (CBIMMS and CBTE)
  • EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
  • CELLBIO 493: Research Independent Study
  • BME 792: Continuation of Graduate Independent Study
  • BME 791: Graduate Independent Study
  • BME 790: Advanced Topics for Graduate Students in Biomedical Engineering
  • BME 789: Internship in Biomedical Engineering
  • BME 712S: Biological Engineering Seminar Series (CBIMMS and CBTE)
  • BME 711S: Biological Engineering Seminar Series (CBIMMS and CBTE)
  • BME 644: Physiology for Engineers
  • BME 590: Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering
  • BME 494: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
  • BME 493: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
  • BME 394: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Roye, Yasmin, Carmen Miller, Titilola D. Kalejaiye, and Samira Musah. “A human stem cell-derived model reveals pathologic extracellular matrix remodeling in diabetic podocyte injury.” Matrix Biology Plus 24 (December 2024): 100164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mbplus.2024.100164.
  • Zhang, Yize, Hamidreza Arzaghi, Zhehan Ma, Yasmin Roye, and Samira Musah. “Epigenetics of Hypertensive Nephropathy.” Biomedicines 12, no. 11 (November 2024): 2622. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12112622.
  • Zhang, Yize, and Samira Musah. “Mechanosensitive Differentiation of Human iPS Cell-Derived Podocytes.” Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) 11, no. 10 (October 2024): 1038. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11101038.
  • Musah, Samira, and Hamidreza Arzaghi. “Unleashing the power of biomaterials to enhance organoid differentiation and function.” Nature Methods 21, no. 9 (September 2024): 1575–77. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-024-02393-5.
  • Bhattacharya, Rohan, Tarsha Ward, Titilola D. Kalejaiye, Alekshyander Mishra, Sophia Leeman, Hamidreza Arzaghi, Jonathan G. Seidman, Christine E. Seidman, and Samira Musah. “Engineered human iPS cell models reveal altered podocytogenesis and glomerular capillary wall in CHD-associated SMAD2 mutations.” BioRxiv, August 6, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.02.606108.