Woodard Lab News

2025

 

  • MSTP Student Danielle Liu joins the lab. Welcome Danielle!
  • VA Pilot and Feasibility grant “Modeling of acute kidney injury in organoids” begins, with collaborators Drs. Matthew Wilson and Joshua Bauer.
  • Dr. Lauren Woodard is PI for the successful Shared Equipment Evaluation Program proposal “ShEEP-MERP: Request for IVIS SpectrumCT2,” funded through the VA’s Military Exposures Research Program and the PACT Act. This machine will enhance our ability to do Veteran-centric research on toxic exposures, cancer, bone health and kidney injury at Nashville VA.

2024

 

  • Julie Bejoy, PhD, begins her American Diabetes Association Postdoctoral fellowship. Congrats Julie!
  • "Genome Engineering of Stem Cells for Kidney Regeneration,” Dr. Lauren Woodard's VA MERIT award, begins.
  • Lauren (Co-PI) and Julie will work with Dr. Ray Blind explore human kidney organoid models for his newly funded NIH R01 “Liver and Kidney responses to bilirubin as a nuclear receptor hormone.”
  • Hadley McCormack (VUSE program) and Gabrielle Siew (VA RISEUP program) are our 2024 summer students.
  • Gabrielle Siew won the VA Director’s Medal at her final poster presentation. Go Gabby!
  • Lauren presented “Human kidney organoids: modeling injury and repair” at the University of Alabama-Birmingham 9th Annual Renal Symposium.
  • Lauren presented “Genome engineering of stem cells for kidney regeneration” for Emory University’s Renal Grand Rounds.

2023

 

  • Our VA MERIT renewal was successful!
  • Lauren presented “Engineering gene and cell therapies for kidney regeneration” to Vanderbilt BME and “Human iPSC-derived modeling of kidney disease and regeneration” to Vanderbilt Renal Research Conference.
  • Lauren traveled to Paris to present “Genome engineering of transposons for kidney regeneration” to the Faculte de Pharmacie de Paris, Sante Universite, Paris, France.
  • Lauren presented “Hydrodynamic kidney delivery” at ASGCT 2023’s annual meeting in Los Angeles
  • Lauren presented “Overview of nonviral vectors and delivery methods” at the SAPA-GP@Philly Cell and Gene Therapy Annual Conference and “Intro to nonviral vectors” for the ASGCT Patient Lunch + Learn Series.