Category: Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics
World-traveling duo finds teamwork is the secret to success
March 6, 2024Yutian Ma, Ph.D. and current postdoctoral researcher, has studied around the world, but found his home in Assistant Professor Owen Fenton’s lab. Ma has studied biomedical engineering in China, Australia, England and Singapore. “Working with different people across different cultures helped me realize that science is like a unifying language. It also exposed me to a lot of new insights and ideas,” said Ma. Fenton and Ma first worked together at the National University of Singapore in 2021. At the time, Fenton was looking for an excellent postdoc and reached out to his network who recommended Ma. After their initial … Read more
Professor advancing first inhaled antibody treatment for RSV
February 26, 2024Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes lower respiratory tract infection in millions each year and is the leading cause of hospitalization in young children. It is also responsible for over a hundred thousand hospitalizations each year among the immunocompromised and the elderly. Sam Lai, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and his lab, have created an inhaled “muco-trapping” monoclonal antibody that effectively treats RSV infections, called Mota-MT. “Building off of our experience with COVID and the challenge that comes with vaccine hesitancy, our team was motivated to explore an … Read more
New leaders in pharmacy: Yevgeny Brudno
February 20, 2024Yevgeny (Yev) Brudno, Ph.D., joined the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as an associate professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP) in January after serving as adjunct faculty for six years. He also holds an appointment in the joint department of biomedical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. “I’m excited to work with friends and colleagues at the school of pharmacy to bring potent and affordable therapies to patients both in the U.S. and around the world,” said Brudno. Brudno received dual degrees in chemistry and biophysics with … Read more
Faculty member advancing an inhalable pan-SARS treatment into clinical development
January 18, 2024Four years since SARS-CoV-2 first spread across the U.S., there are still tens of thousands of new weekly COVID hospitalizations, underscoring the need for more effective means to prevent these infection-induced hospitalizations. Sam Lai, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is advancing an inhalable antibody treatment that not only works against all SARS variants but can be dosed with at-home convenience rather than the traditional means of systemic infusion. Lai’s research spans the interface of immunology and engineering, with a particular emphasis on developing novel bioactive molecules that … Read more
Ameya Chaudhari named 2023 Kathryne A. Brewington Graduate Research Award winner
January 8, 2024Ph.D. candidate Ameya Chaudhari is the 2023 recipient of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Kathryne A. Brewington Graduate Research Award. The School presents the award annually to the most outstanding doctoral student in pharmaceutical sciences in honor of the late Katherine Brewington’s commitment to public service and higher education. Brewington passed away while pursuing her doctoral degree at the School. “Receiving the Kathryne A. Brewington Graduate Student Research Award is a significant milestone for me,” he said. “It not only validates my dedication and hard work throughout my academic journey, but also strengthens my commitment to contribute to the … Read more
The Career of Leaf Huang: Intellectual Curiosity and Impact
December 20, 2023Written by Zach Read Earlier this semester, Leaf Huang, Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor, Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP), and a Professor in the joint UNC-NC State Department of Biomedical Engineering, taught his last class at Carolina. Leaf is retiring after a long career—one dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of cancer, improving the lives of cancer patients, and sharing his passion for the intellectual challenges of molecular pharmaceutics and drug delivery with his students. “My experience at UNC has been fantastic,” Leaf says. Leaf began his academic career at the University of Tennessee in the 1970s and … Read more
New research to help fight tumor growth
October 4, 2023Leaf Huang, Ph.D., has spent much of his career researching gene therapy and targeted drug delivery. In his current research, he is targeting bacteria that feed tumor growth with liposomal antibiotics in order to generate neoantigens that induce anti-tumor immune responses that help stop the growth. This would influence cancer progression—specifically colorectal cancer. Huang is the Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP) at the UNC Eshleman School of Pharmacy. He, along with first author and former postdoc, Menglin Wang, Ph.D., had this research published by a top journal, Nature Biotechnology. “We are glad … Read more
Owen Fenton receives NIH award to help fund research to treat skin cancer
August 9, 2023Owen Fenton, Ph.D. received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Trailblazer R21 Award. He will receive a total of $601,122 over three years for his project focused on developing new medicines to treat skin cancer that are safer and more effective than current therapies. This project will be conducted in collaboration with co-investigator Stergios Moschos, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the UNC School of Medicine. “My group focuses broadly within the field of genetic medicine, with a particular focus on developing mRNA therapies for the treatment of disease. We are excited to receive this award which will enable us … Read more
Juliane Nguyen promoted to full professor and honored with Controlled Release Society Award
July 31, 2023Juliane Nguyen, Ph.D., has been promoted to full professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP) at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy where she also serves as vice chair and director of graduate admissions. “I’m grateful for this promotion, and I truly believe it’s a testament to the incredible efforts of the outstanding students, postdocs and collaborators I’ve had the privilege of working with at Carolina and the University at Buffalo. I’m excited to continue our work to create safer and more effective treatment options for patients, ultimately enhancing their quality of life,” said Nguyen. Nguyen is … Read more
Shawn Hingtgen promoted to full professor
July 31, 2023Shawn Hingtgen, Ph.D., has been promoted to full professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP) at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. He holds a joint appointment as an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the UNC School of Medicine. “Being promoted to full professor is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to the profession. It speaks to the truly amazing team and family around me that enabled this to happen. It means that I can keep innovating and translating new discoveries that have the potential to improve the lives of cancer … Read more