Skip to content

Menu
  • USC Stem Cell
  • About
    • Stem Cell FAQs
    • Mission and History
    • California’s Leadership in Stem Cell Research
    • Founding Supporters and Ambassadors
    • Well-being
    • Jobs
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Videos
    • Impact Reports and Newsletters
  • Research
    • Department Faculty
    • Eli and Edythe Broad Center Faculty
    • Research Facilities
    • Clinical Translation
    • USC+CHLA Alpha Clinic
    • Translational Research Committee
    • USC Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee (SCRO)
    • Apply to Become Center Faculty
  • Education & Training
    • Undergraduate
    • Master’s Program
    • PhD Program
    • Medical Education
    • Postdoctoral Opportunities
    • Our Trainees
  • Funding
  • Inclusive Excellence
  • Support Us
  • Contact
    • Directory
    • Subscribe
  • Search

The Baxter Foundation awards grants to USC researchers Michael Bonaguidi and Sanda Win

By  Cristy Lytal

Posted August 7, 2018
Reading Time 2 minutes

in this section

  • News
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Impact Reports and Newsletters

read this next

Michael Bonaguidi (Photo by Joseph Shin)

Michael Bonaguidi contributes brain power to stem cell research at USC

  • Follow us on
  • Like us on
  • Follow us on
  • Follow us on
Michael Bonaguidi (Photo by Chris Shinn)
Michael Bonaguidi (Photo by Chris Shinn)

From the brain to the bile, the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation is supporting innovative medical research by granting $100,000 awards to two assistant professors: Michael Bonaguidi in the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine; and Sanda Win in the Department of Medicine’s GI/Liver Division.

Win will use her award to explore the role of a protein called Sab in liver diseases. Young adult female mice and premenopausal women have relatively low levels of Sab in their livers, and this confers resistance to both chronic and acute liver injury. Win aims to understand how females keep their Sab levels low, as well as how this protects their livers.

“The hope is that our research will lead to new approaches to preventing and treating not only liver diseases, but also metabolic syndrome, obesity and diseases in other organ systems,” said Win. “I’d like to thank the Baxter Foundation for supporting us in this quest.”

Sanda Win (Photo courtesy of Keck Medicine of USC)

Bonaguidi will use his award to develop computer programs called “ROOT” to optimize the process of developing drugs to improve neural decline due to aging. Using genomics data, ROOT has already predicted which existing FDA-approved drugs might effectively target the root causes of age-related cognitive decline in mice. He will now test whether the predicted drugs improve the function of neural stem cells as well as memory in older mice.

“Bringing a drug to market currently requires more than a dozen years and around $1.6 billion dollars,” said Bonaguidi. “Our goal is to reduce this time and expense, enabling the more rapid and cost efficient development of drugs to treat diseases of aging ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to cancer. We are grateful to the Baxter Foundation for their investment in this research.”

Jane Haake Russell, president of the Baxter Foundation, added: “We are proud to support Dr. Michael Bonaguidi. His work on the human brain fulfills our mission to fund young scientists who are exploring novel approaches in research with the potential to radically alter health care.”

Read more about: Neurosensory
Mentioned in this article: Michael Bonaguidi, PhD

Post navigation

← USC Dornsife cancer scientist aims to create a mapping tool for cancer treatment
Request for Proposals: Eli and Edythe Broad Fellowship Award 2019–2020 →
Keck School of Medicine of USC
1975 Zonal Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Google Map
Phone: (323) 442-1900
Hours:
Monday–Friday
7:30am–5:00pm PST
Resources For
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Patients
  • Community
  • Press
  • Visitors
Areas of Focus
  • Education & Training
  • Research
  • Patient Care
  • Community
Departments and Offices
  • Departments
  • Institutes and Centers
  • Research Programs
  • Administrative Offices
About Keck
  • History
  • Leadership
  • Annual Report
  • Digital Accessibility
Intranet
  • Privacy Notice
  • Notice of Non-Discrimination
  • Smoke-Free Policy

Copyright © 2025 University of Southern California

  • Research
    • Research HomeCutting-edge research drives innovation in healthcare at the Keck School of Medicine
    • Where Research Happens
    • Research Funding
    • Training and Education
    • Researcher Resources
    • Collaborate and Partner
  • Education
    • Education HomeNurturing future healthcare leaders through excellence in education
    • MD Program
    • Residencies and Clinical Fellowships
    • PhD Programs
    • Master’s Programs
    • Professional Programs
    • Post-Doctoral Researchers
    • CME, Certificate & Undergraduate Programs
  • Departments, Institutes & Centers
    • Basic Science and Clinical DepartmentsExploring foundational science and specialized clinical fields
    • Institutes and Centers
    • Research Programs
  • About
    • About the Keck SchoolDiscover the mission, history, and vision of the Keck School of Medicine
    • History
    • Leadership
    • Dean’s Corner
    • Life in Southern California
    • Visit
  • Our Faculty
  • Current Students
  • Newsroom
  • Events Calendar
  • Support the Keck School
  • USC.edu
  • Are you a Patient?