Grandmother’s death inspires Caymanian’s stem cell mission 

After losing his grandmother, Alicia Bodden, to Alzheimer’s disease, Caymanian Gabriel Bodden decided to pursue studies in stem cell research with the hope of seeing his homeland participate in innovative, lifesaving research to help others suffering with the condition.

However, the 21-year-old, who recently returned to Cayman after graduating with his master’s degree in stem cells and regeneration from Bristol University, lamented the lack of innovative research into the condition on island.

‘I know how it is to have someone you love lose their memory’

Bodden said the loss of his grandmother had inspired him to want to be a catalyst for change in Cayman.

“I wrote a dissertation on the potential of stem cells in treating Alzheimer’s disease… Stem cells are able to regenerate lost cells, and the whole basis of Alzheimer’s is that because of different factors, environmental, genetic causes, you lose an extensive amount of neurons and stem cells are able to [become] those neurons,” he explained.

He said if researchers can find a way to replace those lost neurons, there could be a way to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease.

“I know first-hand how it is to have someone you love losing their memory and if there is any potential in treating that, then that would drive me to conduct research with stem cells,” he said.

Bodden said he has always been passionate about science and he wanted to pursue a career that would be a gamechanger for Cayman.

He said, during his studies, he became enthused about the potential of stem cell research to make breakthroughs in treating disease.

“If I can contribute towards other scientists attempting to cure diseases, then I would be very happy,” Bodden said.

Missed opportunities

However, he said, with very limited prospects for conducting scientific research into diseases like Alzheimer’s on island, he may have to look overseas.

This, he believes, is a missed opportunity for Cayman to be a leader in lifesaving research and he is urging local firms to look at the rewards to be gained from being part of scientific advancements.

“We have a lot of young Caymanians… who have a lot of potential and who are very interested in also getting into research. Although the prospect of moving to the States and moving to the UK sounds great, we also want to help the economy here in Cayman,” he said.

He said if there was a way in which graduates like him could stay here and contribute, while also doing what they love, “trying to better other people’s lives, I think that would be a great win for many young Caymanians”.

He believes with new medical facilities in the pipeline and the growth of economic zones at Cayman Enterprise City, there are opportunities to support young Caymanians in achieving these ambitions.

Unchan

Bodden said he is grateful to the government for awarding him scholarships which enabled him to go overseas to study his chosen speciality.

Unchanged:

“I would love to remain here, at least for the foreseeable future, and contribute to the Cayman Islands and find potential opportunities, so I can contribute to the economy and spend some time helping people here,” he added.