Grant Program: Collaborative Health Sciences Program

Central venous catheters deliver life-saving treatments but can lead to serious bloodstream infections, including those caused by Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungal pathogen. This project will study how the stiffness of catheter surfaces impacts the body’s immune response and how well neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, and the body’s first responders for fighting infections, can detect and eliminate pathogens like C. auris. This innovative collaboration between experts in infectious disease and engineering experts could lead to the development of medical devices that better support the body’s natural defenses and reduce health care burdens in Wisconsin and beyond.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and related fibrotic lung diseases are life threatening, with limited treatment options and high mortality, leading to approximately 1,000 deaths annually in Wisconsin. This project investigates a promising new signaling pathway in the development of lung fibrosis involving protein modification to explore how a particular enzyme contributes to lung scarring and disease progression. The project team aims to uncover key fibrotic signaling pathways that could lead to more targeted therapies for IPF and other fibrotic diseases without affecting essential biological functions. Collaborators: Ksenija Bernau, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine

There is a strong connection between health literacy and health outcomes. Current informed consent practices may leave some patients feeling unheard and unprepared for surgery, contributing to poor health literacy. This project seeks to train surgeons at participating hospital systems to use Better Conversations, an evidence-based approach that helps patients and surgeons clearly discuss the goals and risks of surgery. This study will compare different training methods and explore ethical guidelines for future use of ambient artificial intelligence to support enhanced patient-surgeon communication. Findings will inform the expansion of Better Conversations as a statewide training program. Collaborators: Karola Kreitmair, PhD, associate professor, Department of Medical History and Bioethics, UW–Madison; Kristine Kwekkeboom, PhD, RN, FAAN professor, School of Nursing, UW–Madison; Amir Ghaferi, MD, MSc, MBA, FACS, FASMBS, professor, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin

Poorly managed postpartum pain heightens the risk of depression and undiagnosed life-threatening health conditions. This project will investigate inequities in postpartum care, with the goal to inform future interventions and improve postpartum care and pain management. The project team will combine clinician survey and interview data with electronic medical records from postpartum patients. Findings will inform future interventions to reduce inequities in postpartum care and pain management. Collaborators: Nao Hagiwar, PhD, professor and director of the Program on Health Disparities and Community Engagement Research, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia; Laura Swan, PhD, LCSW, senior research scientist, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UW–Madison; Klaira Lerma, MPH, clinical research manager, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UW–Madison

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Wisconsin. Paclitaxel is a standard treatment for several types of cancer, including breast cancer, but nearly half of patients do not respond to it. This project aims to improve outcomes for cancer patients by developing a new combination therapy that can make resistant tumors more responsive to paclitaxel without harming healthy non-cancerous cells. This work could lead to the identification of new therapies for other types of cancers as well.

This research will study brain and cardiovascular health in transgender adult patients receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy at two timepoints: before hormone therapy begins, and after four to six months of therapy. The goal of the study is to assess links between gender affirming hormone therapy, cardiovascular health and brain structure and function. MRI will be used to analyze brain structure and brain blood flow. Body fat will be assessed by Dual X-ray Absorptiometry and aerobic fitness will be assessed using a treadmill test. This analysis is also relevant to other conditions involving hormone disruptions such as puberty, menopause, pregnancy, aging, postpartum, diabetes and obesity. Collaborators: Veena Nair, PhD, scientist, Department of Radiology; Oliver Wieben, PhD, professor, Departments of Medical Physics and Radiology; Kevin Johnson, PhD, associate professor, Departments of Medical Physics and Radiology; Jen Rehm, MD, associate professor, Department of Pediatrics; Dawn Davis, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Medicine

Patients with leptomeningeal metastatic disease (LMD), the spread of cancer into the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, can exhibit loss of vision, hearing, speech, and facial movement and sensation. If not treated, LMD will typically cause death within weeks. Current standard treatment for patients with LMD involves radiotherapy that treats LMD and normal tissues of the head and spine. This project will investigate a new therapeutic approach that can more effectively and more safely treat patients with LMD to achieve disease control and improve patient survival while limiting dose to normal tissues of the brain and bone. Collaborators: Reinier Hernandez, PhD, assistant professor, Departments of Medical Physics and Radiology; Irene Ong, PhD, associate professor, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Biostatistics and Medical Informatics; Bryan Bednarz, PhD, professor, Department of Medical Physics

This project focuses on developing and testing a new strategy to treat ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is a daunting diagnosis because it is a rapidly progressive and metastatic type of cancer, and most people are diagnosed at a late stage of disease. Researchers will test an approach of using dendritic cells to stimulate patient T cells and induce an anti-tumor immune response in patients with ovarian cancer. This project lays the foundation for potential future clinical trials to test this novel approach to train patients’ own immune cells to find and eradicate their ovarian cancer. Collaborators: Manish Patankar, PhD, professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Sheena Kerr, PhD, research assistant professor, Carbone Cancer Center

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung condition where tissue becomes scarred and hardened, and its prevalence in the United States is increasing. Using cutting edge proteomics and bioinformatics technologies and methodologies, researchers aim to better understand how fibrosis happens in order to find ways to reverse it. The project will lay the groundwork for the development of precise therapeutics tailored to combat fibrotic lung alterations. Collaborators: Carole Wilson, PhD, research associate professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine; Irene Ong, PhD, associate professor, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Biostatistics and Medical Informatics

This project aims to develop a novel treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and Wisconsin, by using a unique shark-derived antibody. The goal is to improve treatment outcomes for patients who have an abnormal MET protein and a generally worse prognosis. Researchers will focus on creating a highly targeted therapy that combines radiation with this specialized antibody to attack cancer cells more effectively. Collaborators: Randall Kimple, MD, PhD, associate professor, Department of Human Oncology; Nina Zitzer, DVM, PhD, DACVP, assistant professor, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, UW School of Veterinary Medicine