Category: Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics
Incoming PhD student Alyssa Holden receives National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship
June 24, 2022UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy incoming Ph.D. student Alyssa Holden is a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP). The fellowship recognizes outstanding graduate students in STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based graduate degrees, according to the organization’s website. About receiving the fellowship, Holden said it feels “Completely unreal! I did not expect to get it when I applied, and just thought it would be good writing practice. After I submitted, however, I started to have recurring dreams where I would win the fellowship, and I realized I wanted it very badly. I am so glad that … Read more
Ph.D. student Rebeca Stiepel receives School’s 2022 Kathryne A. Brewington Graduate Research Award
May 11, 2022Ph.D. student Rebeca Stiepel is the 2022 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. Stiepel studies in the School’s Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics under advisor Kristy Ainslie, Ph.D. “I am truly honored and thankful to be receiving this award. I really appreciate all of the support I’ve had from my colleagues … Read more
Carolina scientists testing contraception that stops sperm in its tracks
August 11, 2021University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy has developed a panel of ultrapotent sperm-binding monoclonal antibodies as option for affordable, non-hormonal female contraception Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are engineering molecularly tuned monoclonal antibodies that can be directly delivered into the vagina for a new type of non-hormonal female contraception. Monoclonal antibodies are known for their ability to fight off invading germs, and are used to treat and prevent everything from cancer to COVID-19. Scientists are now enabling a new application for antibodies: blocking sperm from reaching an egg. The concept is taking shape … Read more
Kristy Ainslie receives $1.5 million from NIH to combat type 1 diabetes
July 30, 2021With the aid of a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Kristy Ainslie, Ph.D., will work to develop a long-term treatment for type 1 diabetes. The four-year grant will support her work, “Formulation to Generate Tolerance Towards Type 1 Diabetes.” According to the NIH, type 1 diabetes typically occurs in adolescents and affects about 5% of those living with diabetes in the United States. People with type 1 diabetes rely on insulin injections to survive because their bodies do not produce the hormone. Ainslie, chair of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular … Read more
Ph.D. student Natalie Jasiewicz lands PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Delivery
February 26, 2021The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PHRMA) Foundation recently recognized UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Ph.D. student Natalie Jasiewicz with a 2021 Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Delivery. The fellowship will support Jasiewicz’s research for two years, which is centered around treating myocardial infarctions, more commonly known as heart attacks. “It feels amazing to receive this highly competitive fellowship, and it is an honor to be chosen to join this network of highly accomplished scientists. I’m thankful to be so publicly supported in my goal of creating novel and translatable drug carriers for the treatment of myocardial infarction,” Jasiewicz said. … Read more
Anselmo receives $1.9 million to support work on microbe therapeutics
September 16, 2020Aaron Anselmo, Ph.D., with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics recently received a $1.9 million Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) (R35) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his work on microbe therapeutics. Anselmo said microbe therapeutics are an emerging class of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-regulated drugs that are used to treat a variety of diseases, ranging from pathogen infections to inflammation-based diseases. The NIH grant will support Anselmo’s work through 2025, which focuses on uncovering the key delivery requirements for microbe therapeutics such as delivery location, persistence time, and dosing. … Read more
Researcher receives more than $1.7 million grant to help patients living with triple-negative breast cancer
January 17, 2020Juliane Nguyen, Pharm.D., Ph.D., is on a mission to develop the next generation of safe and effective biotherapeutics for life-threatening diseases such as triple-negative breast cancer. Nguyen, an associate professor in UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, said while some patients diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer do well if they are showing early responses to chemotherapy, the overall prognosis for women with the aggressive cancer remains poor. “In contrast to other breast cancer subtypes, patients are more likely to have residual disease after primary therapy and recurrences and metastases occur early,” Nguyen said. “Because no … Read more
Researcher named 2019 AAPS Emerging Leader of the Year
November 12, 2019For Juliane Nguyen, Pharm.D., Ph.D., every day at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy begins and ends with a patient in mind. Nguyen, an associate professor in the School’s Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP), focuses on developing the next generation of safe and effective biotherapeutics for life-threatening diseases such as cancer and myocardial infarction. “I think if we have developed a clinically viable drug that improves patients’ lives, then we will have made a significant contribution to science and medicine,” Nguyen said. “Until then, we continuously strive to learn and grow.” And others are noticing her dedication to … Read more
Assistant professor receives grant to propel Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis research forward
October 10, 2019Each year, approximately 2 million people in the United States are affected by Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, said Aaron Anselmo, assistant professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Currently, approved medications and treatment options for those suffering from these diseases focus on treatments that block the immune response throughout the body, which can have adverse side effects. So, Anselmo, Ph.D., is on a mission to find the cause of inflammation in the intestines with a goal of preventing and curing Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. To support his work, Anselmo recently received an R21 grant from the National … Read more
Ava Vargason Receives National Science Foundation Research Fellowship
April 29, 2019Ava Vargason, a Ph.D. candidate at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, was awarded the Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Vargason is a second-year Ph.D. candidate in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, advised by Aaron Anselmo, Ph.D. Her research project focuses on modifying the surface of therapeutic bacteria to enhance their ability to adhere to mucosal and cell surfaces. “By enabling therapeutic bacteria to adhere with high affinity and specificity to locations in the GI tract, we can target areas of injury, such as inflammation or cancer,” Vargason said. “This project holds promise to enhance … Read more