Cynthia R Gregory

Cynthia R. Gregory, Ph.D., is a Research Associate Professor at the OHSU Center for Regenerative Medicine and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Her research focuses on leveraging adult stem/progenitor cells to modulate inflammation, immunity, and tissue regeneration. She pioneered studies demonstrating endothelial cells as active targets in immune responses, particularly allograft rejection and autoimmune diseases like experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.

Dr. Gregory holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from OHSU (1987) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine at OHSU, specializing in cardiac graft rejection mechanisms. Her current projects include using autologous bone marrow cells for muscle/nerve regeneration post-compartment syndrome, cardiac stem cells for heart failure treatment, and mesenchymal stromal cells for acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Her research spans immunology, stem cell biology, and translational medicine. Recent publications highlight applications of deep learning in pneumonia diagnostics (2024), ultrasound monitoring in transplant patients (2022), and novel therapies for spinal cord injury (2019) and burn wound healing (2017). Her work integrates clinical translation with basic science, addressing critical gaps in regenerative and immunomodulatory therapies.

Collaborative projects with the Portland VA Medical Center and OHSU’s Center for Regenerative Medicine underscore her commitment to multidisciplinary research. Her innovations include rapid stem cell assay methods (2015) and Schwann cell-based nerve repair strategies (2012).