© Photo by Rod Sanford
Research Coordinator Nick Olden is motivated by the possibility that Michigan donors might help cure debilitating illnesses.
How donors are helping Gift of Life and Michigan donors are providing organs, brain tissue and other tissues to provide specimens for critical research, including: • Looking at new ways for organs, especially hearts, to remain viable for longer periods of time outside the human body before transplant. • Finding cures and treatments for deadly pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis and other diseases of the pancreas to counter growing mortality rates. • The study of human brains to advance the treatment of psychological disorders including
researchers are looking into diseases of the bile duct and pancreas. Gift of Life’s No. 1 tissue research project is with the Lieber Institute for Brain Development. Since 2019, the Baltimore institute has collected brain samples to study neurological disorders. The institute does incredible work to support veteran and minority populations. Nick helped Gift of Life send 170 brains to the institute in 2022. Through the partnership, Lieber has published nearly two dozen scientific articles made possible by Michigan tissue donors and their generous families. “I’m a pursuer of the why and how something works the way it does. Organ research is all about the why and how,” Nick said. “I wake up proud every day about the work we’re doing at Gift of Life.” Nick makes sure research contributions meet industry regulatory standards for both
organ recovery surgery and documentation. He also leads the organization’s Research Review Workgroup, which looks at every project for efficacy. Brytany Bailey, director of preservation and placement at Gift of Life, said Nick is paramount to the research program’s success. “He’s passionate about it and that’s contagious,” she said. “Nick is also innovative and looks for new opportunities, vets every project, walks our research partners through the application process then trains our teams. “I’m so proud of the work we’re doing and of Nick’s leadership,” she said. Nick says he’s a one-person team surrounded by many. “Research projects result in long days and increase the workload of an already difficult job. Our staff has my deepest respect.”
PTSD, Alzheimer’s disease, autism spectrum disorder and more.
LifeLINES | 2023
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