Three members of the Department of Pediatrics are part of research teams that received Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation grants through UW–Madison’s inaugural Igniting Interdisciplinary Innovation (I³) initiative. The projects were among 17 funded from a field of 52 applicants across 41 departments. The teams received up to $250,000 in one-year seed awards, along with team-development support.
Christian Capitini, MD, professor in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, Transplant, and Cellular Therapy and director of the Carbone Cancer Center, is a co-PI on “Intelligent Biomanufacturing: Achieving Broad Access to Cell Therapy via Gene Editing and AI.” Current cell therapies, like CAR T-cells, offer life-saving potential but face a scaling problem due to expensive, manual manufacturing and inconsistent cell quality. This project introduces an “intelligent” biomanufacturing platform where high-functioning cells recognize and eliminate their own dysfunctional counterparts, resulting in a high-purity, potent therapeutic product. Combined with real-time optical sensors and AI to monitor cell health at the single-cell level, this approach transforms cell production from an unpredictable craft into a repeatable engineering science, creating affordable, “off-the-shelf” therapies for cancer and beyond.
Rachel Fenske, PhD, RDN, scientist I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, is a co-investigator on “Preserving Skeletal Muscle, Vascular, and Psychosocial Health in the GLP-1/GIP Pharmacotherapy Era (PRESERVE-GLP Lifestyle Trial).” The PRESERVE-GLP study brings together an interdisciplinary team to examine how GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists medications influence skeletal muscle, vascular health, metabolic function, and psychosocial well-being as patients start and stop therapy. The findings will catalyze future large-scale clinical trials aimed at preserving physical function and long-term health in people using these increasingly common obesity treatments.
Ryan McAdams, MD, professor, Divisions of Neonatology and Newborn Nursery and Global Pediatrics, is a co-PI on “Juno: Contactless Detection of Life-Threatening Cardiorespiratory Events Across the Human Lifespan — and Towards Exposome Sensing.” Juno develops contactless cardiac and respiratory monitoring. The technology uses radio frequency signals to track heart and breathing activity continuously, with no wearable sensor, no attached device, and no human bystander required. Near term, Juno will detect cardiac emergencies in adults and life-threatening apnea events in premature neonates. Longer term, the same sensing infrastructure could map how environmental exposures drive disease across whole populations.