World-Class Research in Milwaukee
Versiti Blood Research Institute brings together exceptional scientists who are working to improve patients’ lives.
Milwaukee is home to some of the most innovative and groundbreaking blood research going on in the world. At Versiti Blood Research Institute (VBRI), experts in dozens of blood-related fields collaborate to discover new treatments, better understand disorders, improve patient outcomes and much more.
That remarkable atmosphere, leading-edge team, and support for new efforts brought Lisa Baumann Kreuziger, MD, MS, to Milwaukee in 2013, when she was offered the chance to create a research program focused on thrombosis (blood clots in the veins of the legs or lungs).
“There are world-class experts here in Milwaukee, uniquely focused on blood research,” Dr. Baumann Kreuziger says. “We’re growing and collaborating with other institutions, and it’s allowing us to pursue important work.”
In 2016, Dr. Baumann Kreuziger led the creation of VENUS (Venous thromboEmbolism Network U.S.) at VBRI, the only clinical trial research network in the country that focuses on venous thrombosis, bringing together an international group of partners to spearhead studies into the condition. And three years later, VBRI launched the coordinating center for the network in Milwaukee, where Dr. Baumann Kreuziger oversees multiple studies.
Some of the most high-profile studies came in 2020, which examined the use of anticoagulation (blood thinner) treatments for patients with COVID and discovered that the treatments
are useful when patients are hospitalized, but are no longer necessary if the patient becomes sick enough to enter intensive care.
“Collaboration is at the forefront of VENUS, not competition,” Dr. Baumann Kreuziger says. “Each of our scientists has a part in these studies, which are important for the field as a whole. Whether that’s designing the study, gathering data, or writing about our research.”
Dr. Baumann Kreuziger also works with VBRI’s Alan Mast, MD, PhD, and Jerry Gottschall, MD, to coordinate the REDS program (Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study), a long-term effort to ensure the safety of the blood donor supply and improve its efficacy for patients who rely on transfusions. The ongoing study has led to advances in understanding infections in the blood supply, such as HIV and Zika. One recent breakthrough discovered a gene in donors that led to the blood cells breaking apart in the bag before a transfusion. REDS has also built a database to study and determine the qualities in donors and recipients that lead to the best outcomes and further tailor and improve the transfusion process.
This year, VBRI is expanding its Wauwatosa campus, nearly doubling its research capacity and adding almost 100 new jobs. Dr. Baumann Kreuziger believes VBRI’s work will not only benefit from more researchers, but also from the new physical space, where “natural collaboration will happen.”
“There are still many unanswered questions out there,” she says. “We’re making many strides to better understand how to treat patients. We have generated a significant amount of research, and are figuring out how to implement these findings so that everyone can benefit.”
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