The Versiti Blood Research Institute (VBRI) has been awarded an S10 grant from the National Institutes of Health to acquire a state-of-the-art high-parameter fluorescence-activated cell sorter, a transformative piece of technology that will significantly enhance collaborative research capabilities and accelerate the journey from discovery to life-changing treatments.
This instrument represents a deepening of VBRI’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in biomedical research. The cell sorter will enable scientists across VBRI, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and Children's Research Institute to examine cells with unprecedented precision, unlocking new insights into some of humanity's most challenging health conditions.
"This technology will be transformative for our research community," said Michael Deininger, MD, PhD, Mike and Cathy White Endowed Chair, chief scientific officer, director of VBRI, and the grant's principal investigator. "We're understanding the fundamental mechanisms that drive disease, which brings us closer to developing targeted therapies that can truly change lives."
The instrument will support groundbreaking research across a remarkable spectrum of conditions, including autoimmune diseases, viral infections, blood cancers, clotting and bleeding disorders, type 1 diabetes, radiation injury, and pain associated with sickle cell disease.
As part of VBRI’s shared services core, the cell sorter will deepen collaboration between institutions in the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC), breaking down silos and creating new partnership opportunities.
The one-year grant, which runs from July 2025 to July 2026, underscores the NIH's confidence in VBRI’s research excellence and the potential to generate meaningful advances in human health. Through this investment, we're not just acquiring technology, we're investing in hope and in the possibility that today's insights will become tomorrow's medical breakthroughs.
This award positions VBRI and our partners to continue leading the way in translational research, where scientific rigor meets human compassion in the pursuit of better health outcomes for all.