Research at Wayne State University

09/11/2026

Congratulations to Drs. Marianna Sadagurski and J. Richard Pilsner on receiving a five-year, $3.94 million R01 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They and their research team will investigate how air pollution levels commonly found in Detroit accelerate biological aging and impact metabolic and cognitive health.

New research to investigate how air pollution levels commonly found in Detroit accelerate biological aging and impact metabolic and cognitive health

09/09/2026

Dr. Jayanth Ramadoss, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the Pregnancy and Environment Division at the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, and Dr. Marta Rodriguez-Garcia, associate professor of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, will lead a $2.4 million NIH-funded research study that will explore the growing concerns of the adverse impact of electronic ci******es on fetal development and how they contribute to long-term health consequences for offspring. Read more at https://research.wayne.edu/news/24-million-nih-grant-to-study-effects-of-e-cigarette-exposure-on-offspring-respiratory-immunity-70105.

New NIH grant at Wayne State will study the effects of E-cigarette exposure on fetal respiratory immune development

08/25/2026

Wayne State University’s Institute of Gerontology will participate in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer's on Sept. 27 at the Detroit Zoo. Faculty, staff, alumni and friends are invited to join the team to raise awareness for Alzheimer's care, support and research. The institute will also showcase informational posters featuring Wayne State’s translational research on Alzheimer’s and its impact on the community. To join the team and learn more about the Institute of Gerontology's research, visit

The Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University will promote their research and participate in the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimers.

08/21/2026

Join Dr. Brendan O'Leary, postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness and Research at Wayne State University, for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Wetterhahn Award Lecture on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. Dr. O'Leary will present, "Unearthing Urban Exposures: Linking Brownfields, Subsurface Contamination, Infrastructure, and Health in Detroit." Join on teams at https://bit.ly/4gAnLez.

Dr. O'Leary was named the 27th recipient of the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Karen Wetterhahn Memorial Award. This award recognizes an outstanding graduate student or postdoctoral researcher who exhibits the qualities of scientific excellence and service to the community. Congratulations to Dr. O'Leary on this impressive achievement that is well deserved!

08/12/2026

Congratulations to Professor Allana Clarke from Wayne State's James Pearson Duffy Department of Art, Art History, and Design in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, on her living art installation and educational community garden that is located at the new Cadillac Arts Centre in Detroit's Little Village neighborhood. Her project uses heirloom seeds, historical research and community participation to explore migration, displacement and Black resilience through the lens of agriculture.

WSU professor Allana Clarke's living art installation at Detroit's Cadillac Arts Centre connects community, history and the African diaspora through gardening.

08/04/2026

Today, Wayne State University celebrated a major milestone in the construction of its new Health Sciences Research Building with a steel topping-out ceremony. The event marked the completion of the building’s structural steel framework as the project’s final beam was raised into place. Read more:

Wayne State University celebrates final beam raised into place for Health Sciences Research Building

08/03/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Matt Allen, assistant vice president for research & innovation and chair of chemistry at Wayne State University, for being named a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, one of the highest distinctions awarded by the world’s oldest chemical society. Fellows are recognized for their experience, expertise and commitment to advancing the field across research, industry and education.

Wayne State chemistry chair Matthew Allen named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, one of the field's most prestigious senior honors.

07/30/2026

Wayne State University and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute have had a long-standing partnership that focuses the health of Detroiters and beyond. The DECO Center is an excellent example of Wayne State's and KCI's commitment to our community through the research that we do.

Wayne State University and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute have secured a $4.07 million grant from the American Cancer Society to establish the Digital Engagement and Cancer Outcomes (DECO) Center at the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit.

Research shows that patient access to technology can be critical to receiving an effective post-treatment plan, but only 57.6% of Detroit residents have broadband internet services, a significant hurdle to delivering effective post-treatment care.

The DECO center’s three core projects will explore the application of inclusive financial support, multidisciplinary treatment plans and the effect of racial bias within provider-based digital treatments.

The four-year initiative will help researchers understand and close the digital divide, improving how Black cancer patients and survivors access digital health tools to achieve equitable outcomes.

Through DECO, researchers will partner with more than 30 community organizations to make sure care and support reach the patients who need it most.

Learn more at https://bit.ly/4trJKtl

07/29/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Jiahui Ding, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine's C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, on receiving a five-year, $2.4 million R01 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the NIH. Her research aims to uncover how viral infections during pregnancy reprogram the developing immune system of the fetus and influence future infectious diseases throughout life.

research on maternal viral infections during pregnancy and affects on developing immune system of the fetus and future health consequences

07/16/2026

Wayne State University and Indiana University researchers have received a renewed $3.2 million National Cancer Institute grant to advance a promising new approach to cancer treatment.

Instead of attacking cancer cells directly, the team is developing innovative compounds that switch off cancer's DNA repair machinery, making tumors more vulnerable to radiation therapy. This strategy could allow treatments to work more effectively while using lower, safer doses, potentially improving outcomes for people with lung cancer and other difficult-to-treat cancers.

Led by Dr. Navnath Gavande (Wayne State) and Dr. John Turchi (Indiana University), the research represents an exciting step toward more precise, targeted cancer therapies.

Read more:

Innovative approach has potential to make standard cancer treatments more effective at lower, safer doses through Wayne State and Indiana University research.