CU biomedicine researchers named to 2026 class of Boettcher Investigators
Five University of Colorado researchers are being honored as members of the 2026 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 21 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 17-year commitment to strengthening Colorado’s biomedical research ecosystem.
The Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards provide critical 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
Alessandra Brambati, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine: Regulation of microhomology-mediated end-joining during cell division.
John Janetzko, Ph.D., Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Pharmacology, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences: All swell doesn’t end well: investigating how GPCR signaling dysfunction affects cell-volume regulation in disease.
Katherine Kissler, C.N.M., Ph.D., College of Nursing: Dynamic digital physiological signatures of impending intraamniotic infection.
Kentaro Yomogida, M.D., Division of Rheumatology, School of Medicine: NK cell–fibroblast crosstalk in the pathogenesis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
CU Boulder
Matthew Olm, Ph.D., Department of Integrative Physiology, College of Arts and Sciences: How diet and lifestyle shape the infant gut microbiome and immune disease risk.
With these five new awardees, CU will have 80 Boettcher Investigators for a total of nearly $18.9 million in biomedical research grants over the course of the program.
This year’s eight-member class of Boettcher Investigators also includes two Colorado State University researchers – Casey M. Gries, Ph.D., and R. Adam Harris, D.V.M., Ph.D., Diplomate ACVP – and National Jewish Health’s Chen-Shan (Julia) Woodcock, Ph.D. The program grants this year total $2 million from the foundation.
The 2026 Class of Boettcher Investigators leads groundbreaking research across a broad range of urgent health challenges. Their work includes preventing dangerous implant infections, improving treatments for acute myeloid leukemia and juvenile arthritis, uncovering new causes of high blood pressure in the lungs and developmental disorders, developing earlier detection methods for infections during pregnancy, and exploring how diet and lifestyle influence the infant gut microbiome and long-term immune health. Read more here.
“The awards are critical to Colorado’s future, because of the investment in researchers at one of the most important stages of their careers, when bold ideas have the potential to create lasting impact,” said Katie Kramer, president and CEO of the Boettcher Foundation. “Colorado’s leadership in bioscience depends on ensuring that emerging researchers have the resources to pursue innovative work.”
Since its inception, the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program has supported 121 Boettcher Investigators, including this year’s class, and awarded close to $29 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 continues to build momentum as a leading hub for biomedical research and health innovation, powered by world-class academic institutions, top talent, collaborative partnerships and strong support for early stage discovery. Boettcher Foundation’s Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards strengthen the state’s long-term competitiveness by helping emerging investigators accelerate breakthroughs for patients.
“Colorado’s future as a leading hub for health innovation depends on bold scientific thinking and sustained investment in emerging researchers,” said Elyse Blazevich, president and CEO of Colorado BioScience Association. “The Boettcher Investigators are advancing high-impact discoveries across some of the most urgent challenges in human health while strengthening Colorado’s position as a center for biomedical research and innovation. These awards help accelerate breakthrough science, support exceptional talent and reinforce the collaborative research environment that sets Colorado apart.”
For more information about the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program, visit the Boettcher Foundation website.