Q&A with Melanie Martinsen: Developing a Cell Therapy to Fight Infection in Vulnerable Patients
October 29, 2026An MD-PhD student at Brown University, Melanie Martinsen is researching a potential cell-based therapy for patients vulnerable to infection due to low levels of neutrophils, infection-fighting white blood cells.
When Melanie Martinsen was 8 years old, her family participated in a breast cancer fundraiser following her mother’s diagnosis. That experience first introduced her to the concept of biomedical research.
“I really liked the idea that there was hope for developing better treatments for future patients such as my mom,” she said. “Fortunately, my mom is doing well now.”
Martinsen’s interest in research continued through high school and college, and she is now in her sixth year as an MD-PhD student at Brown University. In 2026, she received the PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine for her research into a potential cell-based therapy for patients with low levels of neutrophils, infection-fighting white blood cells.
She is studying whether immature cells that develop into neutrophils can be transplanted into the bone marrow of patients to develop into mature cells that fight infection.
Watch this video to learn more about Martinsen and her research.
