Grant Program: New Investigator Program

This project aims to elucidate the function of a genetic risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), the leading cause of death in Wisconsin. Identifying molecular pathways driving CAD risk has the potential to inform actionable targets for preventive medicine and enhance health in the state and across the nation.

This project will pioneer a liquid biopsy approach to identify treatment-resistant and aggressive features in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer. The innovative technique, using blood samples, aims to predict the efficacy of standard regimens early, enabling personalized treatment strategies and improving outcomes for breast cancer patients in Wisconsin.

In response to the rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), this project seeks to uncover genetic modifiers influencing ASD outcomes using innovative genetic studies in diverse human cell lines. This work has the potential to uncover how common genetic variations impact specific traits in brain cells, laying the groundwork for targeted therapeutic strategies.

This project will evaluate precision methods for measuring key indicators of success for a targeted cancer immunotherapy to expand treatment options for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which typically has low treatment response rates and poses a challenge for inducing remission after relapse. The results of this project will support efforts to improve other targeted immunotherapeutic strategies for AML through broader application of the study methods.

Dr. Alexander Birbrair, assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology, is leading a crucial research project aimed at advancing treatments for melanoma. Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, and it has disproportionately higher mortality rates in racial and ethnic minority populations. Cancer and the nervous system bear a close relationship, and the team is particularly interested in understanding how signaling from a receptor, called PAC1, impacts melanoma progression. The results of this project could inform clinical testing for medications targeting the PAC1 signaling pathway to treat melanoma, ultimately improving survival rates for all melanoma patients.

This project aims to transform ovarian cancer care by repurposing tumor cell-containing abdominal fluid (ascites) samples from patients to identify markers of treatment resistance. The ability to easily assess risk of resistance in patients would potentially eliminate the use of ineffective therapy and serve as a signal for determining when second-line therapies should be explored.

This project will utilize advanced neuroimaging and molecular pathology methods to evaluate the impact of brain tumor progression on patient neurocognitive function and quality of life while incorporating metrics that are innovative to neuro-oncology research. Through enhanced understanding of cancer progression on patient quality of life, this project aims to transform treatment and care for patients with brain tumors across Wisconsin and beyond.

This project is seeking to develop a novel diagnostic model for aspiration pneumonia (AP) through identification of a unique molecular signature for lung injury due to aspiration. Pneumonia is the leading infectious cause of mortality in older adults and about 15 percent of cases are due to AP, which currently lacks objective diagnostic criteria and methodology for identifying high risk patients. The results of this project could inform identification of effective interventions for AP and promote improved health outcomes for at-risk older adults throughout Wisconsin.

The inappropriate use of antibiotics in healthcare settings is a significant patient safety and public health threat. Older adults, particularly those living in long-term care facilities, often receive inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions in the emergency department and are at high risk for related complications. The primary issue leading to inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for older adults identified by this project was urine testing patterns that resulted in overdiagnosis of urinary tract infections. To address this, the researchers developed and implemented a new way for emergency care providers to order urine testing in the electronic health record which was associated with a significant decrease in unnecessary antibiotic use in older adults being evaluated for urinary tract infections.

Diabetes costs Wisconsin over $6 billion in health care costs each year. Diabetes is a particularly acute problem for minority groups in our state, affecting over 40 percent of American Indian and 20 percent of African American adults. Altogether, nearly two million Wisconsin residents are estimated to have diabetes or pre-diabetes, which are associated with diet and obesity. Because of this, dietary interventions that promote blood sugar control and a healthy weight are needed. The researchers found that reducing dietary levels of three amino acids restored blood sugar control and normal body composition in obese, insulin-resistant mice, even if they consumed a high-fat, high-sugar diet. Further research will test the translatability of the findings to humans.