Biomedicine researchers join ranks of Boettcher Investigators
Five University of Colorado researchers have been named to the 2025 class of Boettcher Investigators, each receiving a $250,000 grant from the Boettcher Foundation’s Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program.
This year’s class, announced May 22 by the Boettcher Foundation and the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA), represents the next generation of scientific excellence and marks another milestone in the Boettcher Foundation’s 16-year commitment to strengthening Colorado’s biomedical research ecosystem.
The Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards provide crucial early career support and position recipients at leading academic and research institutions to compete for additional private, state and federal research funding. Each grant supports up to three years of independent scientific research.
The CU scientists and their research topics are:
CU Anschutz Medical Campus
Erin K. Englund, Ph.D., Department of Radiology, School of Medicine: Structural and functional evaluation of skeletal muscle in type 2 diabetes with advanced, quantitative MRI.
Anna Helena Jonsson, M.D., Ph.D., Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine: Determining the pathogenic roles of granzyme K + CD8 T cells unexpectedly expanded in rheumatoid arthritis synovium and other diseased tissues.
Yunsik Kang, Ph.D., Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine: Mechanisms of tweek-mediated lipid transfer during astrocyte phagocytosis.
Alexandra Nguyen, Ph.D., Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine: Uncovering the molecular mechanisms of Cohesin regulation in DNA repair and disease.
CU Boulder
Jennifer H. Hill, Ph.D., Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, BioFrontiers Institute: Microbiota shaping of human islets.
With these five new awardees, CU will have 75 Boettcher Investigators receiving over $17.6 million in biomedical research grants over the course of the program.
The 2025 Class of Boettcher Investigators also includes two Colorado State University researchers, Lynn Pezzanite, D.V.M., Ph.D., and Christopher Vaaga, Ph.D., for a total of seven researchers receiving $1.75 million from the foundation. Boettcher Investigators are advancing research in osteoarthritis, autism spectrum disorder, insulin-producing cells, type 2 diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases, and developmental and neurological disorders. Read more here.
“We are delighted to support our 2025 Boettcher Investigators, and as champions of their work, we are confident that these researchers will continue to spark new discoveries and drive innovation in medicine,” said Katie Kramer, president and CEO of the Boettcher Foundation. “The far-reaching impact of our Investigators’ research extends well beyond the lab – each advancement sets in motion a ripple effect that benefits patients, strengthens Colorado’s scientific community and inspires future breakthroughs. We are proud to invest in these remarkable scientists, whose dedication and creativity are shaping a healthier future for all.”
Since its inception, the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program has supported 113 Boettcher Investigators, including this year’s class, and awarded close to $27 million in grant funding. These researchers have gone on to secure more than $150 million in additional research funding from federal, state and private sources.
“Colorado BioScience Association is grateful to the Boettcher Foundation for its continued investment in the next generation of scientific leaders in our state,” said Elyse Blazevich, president and CEO of Colorado BioScience Association. “The Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards provide essential early career funding that empowers researchers to remain in Colorado and advance their discoveries within our world-class academic and research institutions. We are honored to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2025 class of Boettcher Investigators.”
For more information about the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program, visit the Boettcher Foundation website.