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Two UMass Chan Medical School research initiatives focused on improving pregnancy outcomes and accelerating cancer discoveries have received funding through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to advance biomedical innovation and address critical gaps in health care.
Feifan Liu, PhD, associate professor of population & quantitative health sciences, and Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, MD, professor of obstetrics & gynecology and executive director of the Collaborative in Health Equity at UMass Chan, received funding to develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve early identification of pregnancy-induced hypertension, a serious complication that can affect the health of pregnant people and their babies.
The research team aims to develop AI approaches that can help clinicians identify patients at risk earlier while ensuring these tools are accurate and equitable across diverse populations.
“Pregnancy-induced hypertension is one of the most common and dangerous complications of pregnancy, and it falls hardest on the communities that already face the steepest barriers to care,” Dr. Liu said. “We are very grateful for this support from MLSC allowing us to build AI that is accurate and fair by design, so clinicians can identify these cases earlier and more equitably for every birthing person in Massachusetts.”
“By harnessing AI tools in a way that is grounded in real-world clinical care and the diverse communities we serve, this project has the potential to help clinicians identify patients at risk earlier, intervene sooner and deliver more equitable care for every pregnant person,” Dr. Johnson-Agbakwu said.
UMass Chan also received funding to establish a colorectal cancer biobank sourced from diverse patient populations. The resource will provide researchers and life sciences companies with access to high-quality human samples to accelerate biomedical discoveries and support the development of new treatments.
“Access to high-quality human samples is critical to our efforts to treat diseases,” said Nate Hafer, PhD, associate professor of molecular medicine and director of operations for the Center for Clinical and Translational Science at UMass Chan. “We’re happy to partner with the MLSC and industry on this Biobank initiative.”
The awards are part of a $10 million investment from the Healey-Driscoll administration and MLSC to advance women’s health research and strengthen Massachusetts’ life sciences ecosystem. The funding supports research efforts aimed at closing gaps in women’s health, improving patient care and fostering innovation across the state.
“Massachusetts is leading the way in discovering the next generation of treatments and cures, and we’re making sure women’s health is part of that future,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “For too long, conditions that affect women have been underfunded and understudied. These investments will help researchers close those gaps, improve care for patients and strengthen our life sciences leadership while creating economic opportunity across Massachusetts.”
