Q&A with Dr. Samagya Banskota: Advancing Precision Genome Editing Therapies for Rare Diseases
February 9, 2026Dr. Samagya Banskota of Boston University is developing precision genome editing therapeutics that allow scientists to both understand the mutations that cause genetic diseases and develop therapeutic strategies to treat them.
Growing up in Nepal with an interest in science and math, Samagya Banskota thought she would be either a doctor or an engineer. But when she came to the United States for her undergraduate studies, she discovered a career path that combines her two passions: biomedical engineering.
“I had never met someone who was a scientist or a researcher as their career,” she said. “So that was very exciting when I got the opportunity to experience research firsthand.”
Now an assistant professor in biomedical engineering at Boston University, Banskota received a 2025 PhRMA Foundation Faculty Starter Grant in Translational Medicine for her work to develop precision genome editing therapeutics that allow scientists to both understand the mutations that cause genetic diseases and develop therapeutic strategies to treat them.
Her research seeks to use base editing—a precise genome-editing technology that allows scientists to change a single DNA base without breaking the DNA double helix—to create disease models that reveal the underlying biology of Wolfram syndrome and to explore the therapeutic potential of genome editing for rare diseases.
Watch this video to learn more about Banskota and her research.
Learn more about the PhRMA Foundation’s fellowship and grant opportunities. Check out more researcher stories on our blog.
