Congratulations to the 2025 SCRMC Research Training Award Winners!
The SCRMC Research Training Awards Program provides unique, interdisciplinary training for five future leaders in stem cell and regenerative medicine research. Additionally, this program will foster interdisciplinary collaborations among campus investigators.
The award was established in 2008 to recognize and provide support for promising graduate students and postdoctoral fellows of all citizenships conducting stem cell and regenerative medicine research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The SCRMC and the awardees would like to thank those who philanthropically support the SCRMC and make these awards possible.
Meet the 2024 SCRMC Research Training Award Winners
Caterra Leavens
Department of Surgery
Mentor: Jon Odorico, MD
Research Description:
Leavens is working to develop a cure for Type 1 diabetes (T1D) by investigating the immunogenicity of genome-edited, immune-evasive stem cell-derived pancreatic islet cells. T1D is an autoimmune disorder in which a person’s own immune system destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Currently, human pancreatic islet transplants are a treatment option for diabetes, but there are significant challenges, including a shortage of donors for the more than nine million people living with T1D and the need for lifelong immunosuppression. While existing technologies help manage T1D, many patients still experience secondary complications, highlighting the urgent need for a cure.
Leavens plans to create a stem cell line capable of producing an unlimited supply of insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells, addressing the donor shortage, and making these cells immune-evasive, eliminating the need for lifelong immunosuppression. To date, the lab has gene-edited a stem cell line to lack major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I and II and to overexpress key immunomodulatory genes (PD-L1 and CTLA4-Ig) to promote immune evasion. Preliminary data suggest that these gene-edited stem cell-derived islet cells can evade natural killer (NK) cell-mediated lysis, providing a valuable model for studying immune interactions that influence cell survival.
In this project, Leavens aims to explore the interactions between immune cells, stem cell-derived islets, and human cadaver islets. Additionally, she will transplant these gene-edited islets into a humanized mouse model to further investigate their immune-evasive properties and explore potential immune interactions, with the ultimate goal of developing a treatment for T1D.
Trainee Statement:
I am both honored and grateful to be selected as a recipient of the 2025 SCRMC training fellowship. This opportunity is incredibly meaningful to me, as it will allow me to continue working on important experiments and make progress toward developing treatments for Type 1 diabetes. As a Type 1 diabetic myself, I feel especially privileged to work on a project that has personal significance and the potential to positively impact the lives of the over nine million people living with the disease. This fellowship will provide the resources and support I need to pursue this work with dedication, helping me take important steps toward a future where Type 1 diabetes is no longer a challenge for so many. I’m excited to continue this important work and see where it can lead.
Vladislav Leonov, PhD, MS
Postdoc
Cardiology
Mentor: Tim Kamp, PhD, MD
Research Description:
Neonatal mouse hearts can regenerate cardiac muscle within the first week of life, unlike adult hearts, which form scar tissue. This project investigates how intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) cycling is involved in this process, focusing on changes in Ca²⁺ transients after injury and their recovery during regeneration. The hypothesis is that Ca²⁺ transients temporarily decline post-injury and normalize during regeneration, but this recovery is impaired in hearts lacking LRRC10, hindering repair. The study also examines how autonomic signaling (parasympathetic/sympathetic) modulates Ca²⁺ dynamics during regeneration. Using high-resolution optical mapping in neonatal mouse hearts after myocardial infarction, we will track Ca²⁺ signaling and assess pharmacological modulation. This integrative approach combines electrophysiology, molecular biology, and pharmacology to clarify Ca²⁺ role in regeneration. Ultimately, the knowledge gained will fill a critical gap in our understanding of heart repair and guide innovative strategies for cardiac regenerative medicine in the future.
Trainee Statement:
Receiving this fellowship is an honor that empowers me to pursue this ambitious project. The award provides essential resources, mentorship, and interdisciplinary training that will accelerate my development as an independent scientist in the field of regenerative cardiology. During this fellowship, I will receive specialized training in performing myocardial infarction (MI) surgery on neonatal mouse hearts, including at postnatal day 1 (P1)—a technically challenging and highly delicate procedure. Mastering this sophisticated technique will enable me to study the dynamic and intricate role of calcium signaling in cardiac regeneration with a level of precision and insight not previously possible. I am deeply grateful to the Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Center for the opportunity to grow both technically and scientifically, and I am excited to contribute knowledge that may one day help transform approaches to healing the injured human heart.
Adam Pagenkopf
Hematology
Mentor: Jacques Galipeau, MD
Research Description:
Pagenkopf plans to test the hypothesis that mesenchymal stromal cell expression of chemokines on extracellular vesicles is key to their anti-inflammatory performance. This research has the potential to improve the treatment of inflammatory conditions using culture-adapted MSCs and their derived products and should teach us about how MSCs maintain macrophage stem-like niches and influence immune tolerance in vivo.
Trainee Statement:
With the support of the SCRMC Graduate Training Award, I am excited about the opportunities for mentorship and networking that will enhance my development. This award will help me refine my skills in developing research questions, writing, and presenting my work.
Rachel Walkup
Comparative Biosciences
Mentor: Robert Lipinski, PhD
Research Description:
Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are among the most common structural birth defects occurring in one in 700 live births in the United States, but their etiology is poorly understood which has stymied the development of prevention strategies. It is known that both the Wnt and Shh pathways drive the outgrowth of facial growth centers, but how these pathways are regulated is poorly understood. Walkup’s project will focus on defining how DNA methylation, an environmentally modifiable epigenetic mechanism, regulates cNC biology through the Wnt and Shh pathways by using an integrated methylome-transcriptome approach. It is her hope that this study will clarify mechanisms of OFC pathogenesis leading to the development of prevention measures.
Trainee Statement:
I am very excited to receive this support from SCRMC at an important step in my scientific career.
Jingjing Zhou
Oncology
Mentor: Wei Xu, PhD
Research Description:
Zhou is investigating how aging mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) influence breast cancer metastasis. With breast cancer increasing with age, Zhou’s research explores the role of GATA6, a transcription factor linked to MSC aging, in shaping the tumor microenvironment. By utilizing MSC-specific GATA6 knockout / overexpression cells, her work aims to uncover how aged MSCs contribute to tumor progression and metastasis. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to new therapeutic strategies targeting the aging tumor microenvironment to improve cancer treatment.
Trainee Statement:
The SCRMC Graduate Training Award provides me with valuable opportunities to expand my expertise in stem cell biology and collaborate with stem cell researchers across campus. With my background in developmental biology, I am excited to integrate my previous training with my current cancer research. Since my current lab primarily focuses on cancer biology, the SCRMC community offers the platform to gain insights from stem cell experts and allows me to bridge the fields of developmental biology, stem cell aging, and cancer research, contributing to innovative approaches in regenerative medicine.