Katie Newhall – 3rd Prize in the American Society of Transplantation Transplant Visionaries Challenge
Eric Weimer, PhD, and Katherine Newhall, PhD
April 14, 2022
The gift of life involves the recovery of organs for transplantation. But it is not always that simple. When a deceased organ donor is identified, a list is generated of transplant candidates who are suitable to receive each organ. Organ transplants require a compatible match and those matches can be rejected based on a poor fit between a donor and recipient. What many don’t realize is how complex this process is, especially how much work it takes and how critical timing is when making a compatible match between donor and recipient – ranging from 36 hours to only four, depending on how long the organ can remain preserved outside the body.
Combining the Expertise of Math and Immunobiology
What sparks innovation and advances in particular fields is when you intersect different disciplines. To improve the process for analyzing factors known to impact transplant outcomes, Weimer knew that the University of North Carolina had a diverse faculty that could help.
“It occurred to me years ago that crossmatching relies heavily on the use of numbers to make that virtual assessment,” he said. “That’s what led me to reach out to the mathematics department where I came across Dr. Katherine Newhall.”
Read the full article here.
3rd Prize in the American Society of Transplantation Transplant Visionaries Challenge
To share the significant impact of DARA and how it’s improving measurable outcomes, Drs. Weimer and Newhall competed in the American Society of Transplantation Transplant Visionaries Challenge – a competition judged on whether a project is novel, broadly applicable, and has potential for success in moving the field of organ transplantation forward. Entries from transplant professionals were selected to compete during the Cutting Edge of Transplantation (CEoT 2022) virtual meeting. After presenting DARA along with a pitch video produced by UNC Health Communications and HighAlpha Innovations, Drs. Weimer and Newhall came in 3rd place, winning $1,000.
Congratulations, Katie!
