Computational biologist receives NIH NDRI Pilot Award

Molecular biology and genetics

2/17/2026

Ayshwarya Subramanian, assistant professor of molecular biology and genetics in the �鶹��Ƶ and �鶹��Ƶ, has been named a winner of the Pilot Award. The Pilot Award Program is a component of the National Disease Research Interchange’s (NDRI) Human Tissues and Organs for Research Resource (HTORR) program. Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this program facilitates the collection of preliminary data necessary for an investigator to obtain subsequent funding.

Over the course of two years, the awarded investigators will receive project-specific human biospecimen service to support the advancement of their scientific goals. All sample, preservation, pathology assessment and shipping costs are covered by the award, as well as supplementary support to develop grant applications to relevant NIH Institutes.

“The Pilot Award Program was started to provide support for promising investigators, and this cycle’s honorees are doing incredibly exciting work,” said Thomas Bell, NDRI’s chief scientific officer. “This program helps accelerate scientific advancements in studies addressing high priority human health needs by providing access to human biospecimens to more directly translate their research into real-world treatments and cures.”

Subramanian researches diabetic kidney disease, the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, affecting 30% to 50% of people with diabetes. Current therapies can slow but not prevent kidney decline, leaving many patients at risk for dialysis or transplantation. Her project investigates a promising but underexplored path – harnessing the body’s own immune cells, specifically a cell type called “macrophages,” to counter harmful inflammation and protect kidney tissue.

“I am deeply grateful to NDRI and the NIH-supported HTORR program for enabling access to the precious human kidney tissues that are essential for this work,” Subramanian said. “By studying macrophages in human donor kidneys, we aim to understand how the immune system can protect kidney tissue – and move closer to immune-targeted treatments for patients with diabetes.”