2013 AST Grant Recipients

AST/Novartis Basic Science Faculty Development Grant
Dr. Jamil Azzi
Research Title: The Novel Role of P13Ky Pathway in Alloimmunity and Tolerance
Dr. Azzi is an instructor in medicine from Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is particularly interested in achieving allograft tolerance, and developed an early interest in exploring innovative and safer immunosuppressive strategies. His previous research experiences lead him to conclude that finding tolerogenic strategies relies on targeting key players in the survival of memory and regulatory cells. Dr. Azzi’s goal is to improve patient care as an independent physician scientist by discovering new targets for therapy in solid organ transplant.

AST/Genentech Clinical Science Fellowship Grant
Dr. Roberto Bassi
Research Title: In Vivo MNR Metabolic/Metabolomic Profiling of the Kidney Allograft
Dr. Bassi is a post-doctoral research fellow in the Nephrology Department at Children’s Hospital Boston. Dr. Bassi has a special interest in kidney transplantation, and his goal is to become more established in the academic and transplantation research communities.

AST/Novartis Clinical Science Fellowship Grant
Dr. Elizabeth King
Research Title: Geriatric-Specific Risk Metrics and Adverse Outcomes in Older Kidney Transplant Recipients
Dr. King is a resident in the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University. She aspires to specialize in transplantation with a focus on the care of older adults. As a medical student, the first surgery she observed was a kidney transplantation, and likens the intricate surgical work of transplantation to artistry. Outside of medicine, I consider myself an artist, focusing on figure drawing and sculpture.

AST/Astellas Basic Science Fellowship Grant
Dr. Kanishka Mohib
Research title: IL-10+ Regulatory B Cells (Breg) Induction by TIM-1, IL-4, and Mechanisms of Action in Allograft Tolerance
Dr. Mohib is a post-doctoral surgery fellow at the University of Pittsburg. His goal is to further the understanding of regulation of the immune system in a manner that can be applied toward improving the outcome of organ transplantation. He aspires to be a leading researcher in the field of transplantation immunology.

AST/Astellas Clinical Science Faculty Development Grant
Dr. Thangamani Muthukumar
Research Title: Development of a MicroRNA Atlas for Foretelling Renal Allograft Functional Decline
Dr. Muthukumar is an assistant professor in the Transplantation Medicine Department at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He has substantial training and experience in advanced gene expression profiling studies in cutting-edge settings. As a physician-scientist, his goal is to drive important translational research advances that help improve patient care and outcomes.

AST/BMS Basic Science Fellowship Grant
Dr. Ryan Newton
Research Title: Homeostatic and Metabolic Regulation of Tregs by PTEN
Dr. Newton is a research fellow in the Transplantation Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. One of his top research goals is to advance the understanding of regulatory T cell function, regulation, and homeostasis so that more effective therapies utilizing this lineage can be developed for the treatment and prevention of autoimmune disorders, and for use in patients who have received transplants.

AST/Pfizer Basic Science Fellowship Grant
Dr. Natasha Rogers
Research Title: The Role of CD47
on Interacting Parenchymal and Non-parenchymal Cells Facilitating Renal Ischemia Reperfusion Injury
Dr. Rogers is a visiting scholar in the Vascular Medicine Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Rogers is a nephrologist with subspecialty training in transplantation, and has a desire to pursue a combined physician-scientist career.