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Funded Projects

Quantifying Patellar Tendon Loads During Rehabilitation Exercises in Patients with Patellar Tendon Injuries

Awarded in 2024
Postdoctoral Grant
Updated Sep 8, 2025

At a Glance

Patellar tendon injuries are common and can lead to lasting mobility issues. Exercise is the best treatment, but current methods often misjudge actual tendon load, limiting recovery. This project uses new UW—Madison – Shear Wave Tensiometry (SWT) to directly measure tendon load and quantitative ultrasound (qUS) to assess tendon health. It will test how neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) enhances tendon loading and explore links between tendon structure and function. The findings will guide more precise rehabilitation strategies, improving healing and long-term outcomes for people with tendon injuries.

More Funded Projects

research icon: microscope and stethoscope
Postdoctoral Grant

Exploration of Longitudinal Changes in Gut Microbiome Composition Stratified by Amyloid Status

Outcome Report
Awarded in 2024
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects over 110,000 older adults in Wisconsin and remains without a cure. Emerging evidence suggests the gut microbiome may play a role in AD pathology, but how these changes unfold over time is not well understood. This project analyzed longitudinal fecal samples and fluid biomarkers from participants in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Results showed an increase in potentially pathogenic taxa alongside a decrease in beneficial microbes in amyloid-positive individuals compared to amyloid-negative individuals. This work contributes to understanding early biological processes that may influence later disease risk and has the potential to inform future prevention and intervention strategies.
research icon: microscope and stethoscope
Postdoctoral Grant

SDH Inhibition Promotes Cardiac Regeneration in Myocardial Infarction by Reprogramming Myofibroblast Metabolism

Awarded in 2024
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., in part because the adult heart cannot regenerate after myocardial infarction (MI). This project explores how inhibiting succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) in myofibroblasts can reduce fibrosis and promote heart repair. Preliminary studies show SDH inhibition reprograms fibroblast metabolism, limits scar formation and boosts cardiomyocyte regeneration. By uncovering the mechanisms behind this process, the study aims to pave the way for new regenerative therapies to improve outcomes after heart attack.