EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — A professor and a student have joined forces to conduct rare research that could save the lives of those with kidney transplants.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire sophomore Zach Caterer and biomedical engineering professor Dr. Michael Walsh are in the only lab in Wisconsin where this research is being done. 

Walsh said he believes it’s one of just five in the country.

“We want to make sure we can keep people as healthy as possible, reduce the burden on the transplant list, and make sure when people get that transplant that they keep it for as long as possible,” Walsh said.

The duo is working on a new high-resolution imaging tool that can hopefully identify patient complications sooner. 

The idea is to give doctors enough time to prevent potential kidney transplant rejections.

“I think it’s very rewarding,” said Caterer. “We’re able to help people in the future, even if we don’t necessarily see the repercussions of the work now.”

Caterer has been conducting this research for two years, under the guidance of Dr. Walsh, who has been studying this for nearly two decades. 

He said it makes him think of his close friend. “She was on the transplant list for three years and passed away waiting for her transplant,” he said.

Walsh said a transplant is, many times, the only cure for end-stage renal disease. He said 45% of people in the nation lose their kidney because of diabetes. 

He and Caterer are studying the likelihood of which patients will see a reoccurrence of the disease once they have had a transplant and which will have a favorable outcome.

“I’ve always been interested in the DNA replication part of the cell cycle,” said Caterer. “I ended up talking to Dr. Walsh about it one day for three hours.”

Caterer and Walsh grow many of their own cells within the lab at UWEC to conduct this research. They work with human tissues from a lab at the University of Illinois- Chicago as well.

Caterer will present this research next month at an event called Research on the Rotunda. 

The annual event highlights a handful of undergraduate students throughout the UW- System who are conducting innovative research. It is held at the Wisconsin State Capitol.