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Funded Projects

Role Of Injury in Vocal Fold Disease Caused By Papillomavirus Infection in Immunocompetent Individuals

Awarded in 2024
Postdoctoral Grant
Updated Sep 10, 2025

At a Glance

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a lifelong disease caused by low-risk HPV types 6 and 11 that produces fast-growing lesions on the vocal folds, leading to hoarseness, repeated surgeries, scarring and significant community and quality-of-life challenges. There is no cure. This project uses a novel immunocompetent mouse model to investigate how vocal fold injury enables papillomavirus to evade immune defenses, establish chronic infection and drive disease recurrence. This study will define the threshold of viral load and injury needed for disease, test whether injury promotes recurrence and explore how injury disrupts epithelial and immune balance. Findings will advance understanding of how RRP develops and persists, informing future strategies for prevention and treatment.

More Funded Projects

research icon: microscope and stethoscope
Postdoctoral Grant

Learning and Implementation of Advanced Techniques for Cardiac Live Slices Preparation and Simultaneous Optical Calcium and Voltage Imaging

Awarded in 2024
Heart failure after myocardial infarction (MI) remains a leading cause of death because scar tissue formation prevents the heart from restoring lost function. Stem cell therapies hold promise, but human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have raised safety concerns due to arrhythmias. Early evidence suggests that cardiac progenitor cells (CCPs) may be safe, more versatile and better suited for cardiac repair. This project will use advanced cardiac slice models and dual optical mapping of voltage and calcium signals to study how CCPs integrate electrically and functionally within heart tissue. By clarifying the mechanisms of CCP behavior and viability, the study aims to advance the development of safe, more effect regenerative therapies for patients with heart failure.
research icon: microscope and stethoscope
Postdoctoral Grant

Longitudinal Changes in Gut Microbiome Composition is Associated with Biofluid Markers of Alzheimer’s Disease

Awarded in 2024
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects more than 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 will analyze longitudinal fecal samples, fluid biomarkers and cognitive scores from participants in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). The study will test whether shifts in gut microbiome composition are linked to amyloid status, cognitive decline and AD biomarkers in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. Findings are expected to identify specific gut microbes associated with AD progression, laying the groundwork for future therapeutic targets and larger multicenter studies.