The University of Texas at Dallas · Biomedical EngineeringThe ImmunoAssist Lab
David W Schmidtke · Richardson, Texas
Research Focus
David W Schmidtke's research lab at the University of Texas Dallas focuses on understanding how the immune system behaves in patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs) who are at risk for infections. They aim to identify biomarkers that predict infections and develop innovative tools to assess immune function in these patients. The lab's goal is to improve patient outcomes by exploring new therapies that can enhance the immune response and reduce infection rates in individuals with heart failure.
Ventricular Assist DevicesInfectionLeukocyte ActivationImmunologyHeart FailureMicrofluidicsNeutrophilsBiomarkersInflammation
Research Aims
3AIM 01Identify pre-implant biomarkers predictive of post-implant infections.
AIM 02Develop microfluidic assays to assess leukocyte function changes due to VAD implantation.
AIM 03Investigate the effect of specialized lipid mediators on neutrophil function in VAD patients.
Skills the Lab Values
Flow CytometryMicrofluidic Device DevelopmentImmunofluorescence MicroscopyCell CultureBiomarker AnalysisData AnalysisNeutrophil Function AssaysExperimental DesignClinical Sample Processing
Output against the department
Publications101bottom 18% of dept.489th of 595
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.5kbottom 27% of dept.434th of 595
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.