The Querrey Simpson Institute for Regenerative Engineering at Northwestern University will advance research to regenerate and reconstruct tissues and organs
Northwestern University Trustee Kimberly K. Querrey (’22, ’23 P) has made a $10 million gift to create and enhance the Querrey Simpson Institute for Regenerative Engineering at Northwestern University (QSI RENU), bringing her total giving to the institute to $35 million. The new institute will advance the development of medical tools that empower the human body to heal, focusing on the regeneration or reconstruction of various tissues and organs, such as the eyes, cartilage, spinal cord, heart, muscle, bone and skin.
Building on the university’s longstanding excellence in cross-disciplinary team science and Querrey’s two decades of visionary support of the biosciences at Northwestern, RENU will tackle the most complex challenges in regenerative medicine. As part of a university-wide priority to advance the biosciences, the large-scale institute will help accelerate patients’ recovery from injuries and surgeries, develop bioengineered tissues and organs to reduce reliance on donor transplants, and more.
Over the years, Querrey and her late husband, Louis A. Simpson ’58 (’96 P), have built an outstanding philanthropic legacy at Northwestern, benefiting biomedical research, endowed academic positions and business education as well as scholarships, building projects, and athletics and recreation. The new gift announced today brings their total contributions to the university to $391 million, making them among the most generous donors in Northwestern history.
The body’s inability to activate the regeneration of diseased, injured or missing tissue is a significant obstacle in health care. This issue spawned the emerging field of regenerative engineering, which converges advances in materials science and engineering, stem cell and developmental biology, translational medicine and data science/artificial intelligence to create scalable and reliable tools that preserve, restore and augment tissue and organ functions.
“Kimberly Querrey’s visionary philanthropy and enduring commitment to advancing cutting-edge research have made an incredible impact here at Northwestern, and we are deeply grateful,” president Michael H. Schill, JD, said. “Fueled by her latest gift, the Querrey Simpson Institute for Regenerative Engineering at Northwestern University will leverage our leadership in pioneering innovative health care solutions.”
Faculty from Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering and Feinberg School of Medicine will drive the institute’s dynamic research and education ecosystem.
“QSI RENU represents a significant opportunity to unite world-class minds from across Northwestern — including engineering, medicine and beyond — to pursue breakthroughs that will redefine how we heal,” university Provost Kathleen Hagerty said. “This interdisciplinary synergy promises to unlock profound advancements in regenerative medicine, keeping Northwestern at the forefront of medical innovation.”
On the educational front, the new institute supports pre- and post-doctoral training, mentorship, awards programs and industry partnerships, among other opportunities.
“Northwestern has long excelled at solving challenges that transcend traditional boundaries by bringing together researchers from various disciplines to collaborate — including in university-wide institutes and centers,” Vice President for Research Eric Perreault said. “QSIRENU exemplifies this approach, building on a long record of success in biomedical engineering and medicine, such as in Feinberg’s departments of surgery, cardiac surgery and dermatology.”
The institute’s inaugural director is Guillermo Ameer, ScD, the Daniel Hale Williams Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Surgery at Northwestern, who has dual appointments in McCormick and Feinberg. Ameer is a leader in regenerative engineering, biomaterials, additive manufacturing for biomedical devices, controlled drug delivery and bio/nanotechnology for therapeutics and diagnostics. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors, the Materials Research Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and Biomaterials Science and Engineering. He also is an associate editor of the Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine Journal and deputy editor of Science Advances. Ameer’s research has resulted in several bioresorbable implantable medical devices currently on the market for musculoskeletal surgeries.
Ameer and Northwestern collaborator John A. Rogers, PhD, — the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery — recently co-led a new study published in the journal Nature titled “A non-contact wearable device for monitoring epidermal molecular flux.” The paper introduces the first wearable device to gauge health by sensing gases emitted from and absorbed by the skin. By measuring water vapor, carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds, the new technology offers insights into infections, wound healing, hydration and chemical exposure.
“Regenerative engineering is a new and exciting field that addresses major challenges in tissue and organ regeneration and reconstruction surgeries to improve patients’ quality of life,” Ameer said. “QSI RENU will jump-start translational research efforts that move our discoveries and technologies developed in our laboratories to potential products that will impact clinical practice and quality of care for patients suffering from tissue loss and/or organ dysfunction. The institute’s work will lead to transformative technologies that help people and train the next generation of leaders in those fields. It will be a world-class hub for regenerative engineering research and translation across several medical specialties.”
The establishment of QSI RENU adds to the extraordinary legacy of philanthropic support from Querrey and Simpson, who was a university trustee, alumnus, parent and adjunct professor. Their contributions have advanced research, education and innovation across numerous initiatives at Northwestern, including:
- Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center
- Querrey InQbation Lab
- Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics
- Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics
- Simpson Querrey Lung Institute for Translational Science
- Simpson Querrey Center for Neurovascular Sciences
- Simpson Querrey Center for Neurogenetics
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease
- Several endowed professorships and research centers across STEM and business disciplines
In 2022, Querrey and the Louis Simpson Trust made a $121 million gift to Northwestern to support biomedical discovery at Feinberg, build the second tower of Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center, reinforce the university’s position as a global research powerhouse and expand executive education at the Kellogg School of Management.
“In today’s environment, investing in STEM research and education is essential to driving health care innovation and economic growth,” Querrey said. “I have always believed in supporting discoveries that hold transformative promise for improving lives, and QSI RENU perfectly embodies that vision.”
QSI RENU’s official launch will be commemorated later this spring as part of the biennial Translational Regenerative Engineering Symposium. Attendees will learn about the institute’s vision and objectives and the opportunities and challenges for regenerative technologies and products from leaders in the field.
For more information, visit the QSI RENU website.
