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Funded Projects

Reducing Donor Kidney Discards and Improve Kidney Failure Outcomes in Wisconsin through Improved Assessment of Deceased Donor Kidneys

Awarded in 2025
New Investigator Program
Updated Dec 1, 2025

At a Glance

The project, Reducing Donor Kidney Discards and Improve Kidney Failure Outcomes in Wisconsin through Improved Assessment of Deceased Donor Kidneys, led by Jennfier Philip, MD, aims to reduce the growing number of deceased donor kidneys that are discarded before transplant. With more than 12,000 people in Wisconsin living with kidney failure, improving access to viable donor organs is a critical public health need. This initiative develops and tests novel assessment tools that evaluate kidney quality during preservation, with the goal of creating a validated approach that can be translated into clinical practice. By improving how donor kidneys are assessed, the project seeks to increase the number of organs available for transplant and improve outcomes for patients statewide. Collaborators include Alejandro Roldan-Alzate, PhD, UW–Madison College of Engineering, and Jacqueline Garonzik-Wang, MD, PhD, Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation.

More Funded Projects

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New Investigator Program

Right Care, Right Place, Right Time: Improving Emergency Care for Wisconsin’s Children with Medical Complexity

Awarded in 2025
The project, Right Care, Right Place, Right Time: Improving Emergency Care for Wisconsin’s Children with Medical Complexity, led by Jillian Gorski, MD, aims to improve emergency care for children with medical complexity across Wisconsin, particularly those living far from specialized pediatric hospitals. Using artificial intelligence and electronic health records, the team will develop a clinical decision-support tool to help emergency physicians in rural and smaller hospitals determine when a child needs transfer to a larger children’s hospital. The project will also examine current care patterns, travel distances, and gaps in access to identify the regions where improvements are most needed. Collaborator: Brian Patterson, MD, MPH, associate professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, UW–Madison.
research icon: microscope and stethoscope
New Investigator Program

Improving NK Cell Immunotherapy through Metabolic Conditioning

Awarded in 2025
The project, Improving NK Cell Immunotherapy through Metabolic Conditioning, led by Jose Ayuso, PhD, aims to develop a more scalable and cost-effective immunotherapy for advanced melanoma using memory-like Natural Killer (ML-NK) cells. With more than 2,000 new melanoma cases diagnosed annually in Wisconsin, there is an urgent need for treatments that are both effective and accessible. Current immunotherapies, while promising, are often limited by high cost and logistical challenges. This initiative focuses on improving ML-NK cell function through targeted metabolic conditioning to create an “off-the-shelf” therapy that is affordable, durable and readily deployable. Collaborators include Christian Capitini, MD, professor, Department of Pediatrics, and Nihal Ahmad, PhD, professor and vice chair for research, Department of Dermatology.