Related Links
Related Links
Within UNC
Within UNC, there are many strong linkages to units such as the following:
The Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery (CICBDD)
CICBDD was created with the mission of bringing dedicated medicinal-chemistry expertise to bear on biological targets of therapeutic relevance under investigation by UNC faculty. CICBDD uses medicinal chemistry, assay development, compound profiling, and computational chemistry tools to design, synthesize, and test small molecules against biological targets. The specific technologies include biological assay development, small molecule library design and screening, computational modeling, data analysis, hit identification, and lead optimization. CICBDD is directed by Dr. Stephen Frye, a faculty member at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Dr. Frye, one of the world’s leading medicinal chemists, left his position at GlaxoSmithKline as World Wide VP, High Throughput Chemistry & Discovery Medicinal Chemistry to come to UNC. Dr. Frye is the inventor of a marketed GSK drug, Avodart, which is under study for prevention of prostate cancer. In addition, the breast cancer drug Tykerb was discovered in his department at GSK.
UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy (IPIT)
IPIT is directed by School faculty member Dr. Howard McLeod, an internationally recognized expert in pharmacogenomic analysis. IPIT focuses on approaches that utilize genetic information in selecting the right drug, together with the right dose and administration schedule, at the onset of treatment for each individual patient. There is an increasing awareness that many disorders (cancer, cardiovascular disorders, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease and other neuropsychiatric disorders, to name a few) have a genetic component, and that the processes determining the effectiveness of a given drug are under genetic control.
Carolina Center for Exploratory Cheminformatics Research (CCECR)
CCECR is directed by Dr. Alex Tropsha, the chair of the School's Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products. CCECR was established in 2005 with an NIH Roadmap grant. Dr. Tropsha is a leading expert in the areas of cheminformatics, toxico-cheminformatics, and computational molecular modeling. His research is funded by several additional federal grants, including another Roadmap grant in the area of computational chemical toxicology. CCECR utilizes advanced computational chemistry and molecular modeling tools to support experimental projects, data management, analysis, and experimental design.
UNC Institute for Nanomedicine
IFN is co-directed by Dr. Joseph DeSimone, Dr. Russell Mumper, and Dr. Rudy Juliano. IFN was established at UNC in 2008. The Institute will play an important role in understanding, preventing, and treating disease through the use of emerging nanotechnology, with a particular emphasis in cancer.
Institute for Advanced Materials, Nanoscience and Technology (IAM)
IAM, directed by Dr. DeSimone, is an interdisciplinary institute, coordinating research efforts across the internationally recognized strengths of UNC-Chapel Hill in polymer science, nanomaterials, and nanobiosciences.
Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCCNE)
The CCCNE is one of eight funded centers by the NCI. CCCNE is co-directed by Dr. Juliano and Dr. DeSimone. The renewal application will likely include projects led by Dr. DeSimone, Dr. Mumper, and Dr. Leaf Huang, among others.
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC)
Many faculty at the School have joint memberships in LCCC. In addition, in 2007, the North Carolina General Assembly approved a recurring $50 million University Cancer Research Fund (UCRF) to capture and then focus resources at UNC and across the state of North Carolina to address the tremendous public-health crisis of cancer. In 2008, a leveraged gift to the School and matched funding from the UCRF created the Carolina Partnership to propel UNC to become the preeminent academic cancer drug discovery & development program in the world.
ESOP faculty members also participate in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP), a campus wide interdisciplinary entry pathway for first-year graduate students. Depending on her/his interests, the new CNDD recruit may also wish to participate in the translational-research activities of the UNC Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (TRACS Institute), which is funded by a CTSA grant. The TRACS Institute sponsors a number of pilot grant programs for UNC faculty, some specifically focused on young investigators and many requiring collaborations between a basic scientist and a clinical scientist.
Beyond UNC
There are also strong links to the nearby, world-renowned Research Triangle Park (RTP), home to many high-technology companies and federal labs such as GlaxoSmithKline, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBC), and Research Triangle Institute (RTI). In addition, Dr. Mumper and Dr. Tropsha have a grant from the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) to study various aspects of nanotoxicology with the aim to predict toxicological aspects of nanomaterials.