UAB medical student Richard Seeber was recently awarded a 2017 Presidential Student Mentor Grant by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and will join Xenotransplant Program Director Joseph Tector, M.D., Ph.D., in his lab later this year.

“UAB has recently attracted preeminent surgeon-scientists in the field of xenotransplantation,” Seeber said. “I am excited and fortunate to have the opportunity to work in Dr. Tector's lab."

Seeber’s research focuses on manipulating pig genomes to create pig kidneys compatible with transplantation into humans. Because donated human organs are scarce, success in creating such organs could save thousands of lives.

“Ultimately, making the human immune system ‘see’ a pig organ as a human organ is both a scientifically fascinating and clinically important goal,” Seeber said. “As I began medical school last summer, I read about Dr. Tector's research in the press and saw an opportunity.”

Seeber said his interest in xenotransplantation began in college, while his interest in transplantation in general began after learning of a friend’s first-hand experience.

“One of my childhood friends received a transplant,” he said. “Their long-term relationship with their transplant team left a lasting impression on me.”

As a recipient of a 2017 ASTS Presidential Student Mentor Grant, Seeber will be honored on May 1 at the Academic Transplant Congress in Chicago.

“I look forward to working hard on this project, which will hopefully make a small contribution to the care of patients in need of life-saving organ transplants,” he said.