Education

• PhD: Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, 2005
• BA: Colby College, Waterville, ME, Department of Biology, Major in Biology with a concentration in cellular and molecular biology, 1999

Biography

Dr. Sammarco received her PhD in Genetics from LSU Health Sciences Center in 2005. Dr. Sammarco's primary research interest is the influence of oxygen on the promotion of limb regeneration and tissue,  muscle and bone salvage after traumatic injury. Our previous studies on digit regeneration revealed that oxygen microenvironment changes during the specific stages of regeneration are critical to the optimal regeneration of bone and soft tissue. Regeneration is dependent on a specific changing oxygen environment, therefore a better understanding of the effects of oxygen during wounding, scarring, and regeneration is essential to finding better ways to generate both hypoxic and oxygen replete microenvironments to promote successful regeneration and healing.
 
Oxygen may promote or even antagonize healing and regeneration of the digit depending on the duration and timing of the application. The long-term goal of our research is to establish molecular markers that allow us to stage limb injury and guide the application of oxygen to promote a regeneration-competent tissue environment in order to establish injury-specific treatments for clinic and improve limb tissue salvage outcomes after limb trauma. To do this we utilize both in vitro slice tissue culture models and in vivo mouse injury models. Active projects currently include the temporal influence of oxygen on recovery from extended tourniquet use, and utilizing timed oxygen application to prevent mortality and promote limb salvage after exsanguinating hemorrhage.
 

Publications

View Dr. Sammarco's publications in PubMed