Introducing Dr. Sara “Mimi” Gaines: 2025 Wylie Scholar Award Recipient
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Sara Gaines, MD, has been named the 2025 Wylie Scholar Award recipient. Dr. Gaines is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Section of Vascular Surgery and Associate Program Director of General Surgery at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Her innovative research is set to explore an intersection of vascular biology, kidney disease, and the gut microbiome.
Dr. Gaines’ project, “The role of microbial uremic toxins on the endothelial and smooth muscle cell regulation of neointimal formation in arteriovenous fistulas,” addresses a clinical challenge faced by patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who rely on dialysis for survival. In these patients, arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs), the surgically created blood vessel connections essential for dialysis, can fail due to complications, such as dysfunctional vascular remodeling. Dr. Gaines’ research seeks to uncover how gut microbiome imbalances and their byproducts, known as uremic toxins, contribute to this failure.
Dr. Gaines will investigate how these toxins disrupt the function of endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, ultimately impairing AVF performance. Her study will also explore molecular pathways, such as endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, that lead to vessel narrowing.
This research holds the potential to transform care for CKD patients by laying the groundwork to develop further microbiome-based therapies, such as targeted therapies, dietary interventions, or probiotics, to protect and improve the function of the arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs). Fewer fistula failures could mean less need for surgical repeat, reduced complications, and improved dialysis outcomes, ultimately enhancing patient quality of life.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Sara Gaines on this well-deserved recognition. To learn more about her work and the Wylie Scholar Award, visit the Wylie Scholar List.
Dr. Sara Gaines, 2025 Wylie Scholar
