Category: Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery
Sokolsky Awarded St. Baldrick’s Hero Grant to Target Brain Tumors
July 30, 2018Marina Sokolsky-Papkov, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is the recipient of a Hero Fund grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to support her research into more effective methods of treating medullosblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor seen in children. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, awarded 76 new grants totaling $19.1 million in its summer grant cycle to support research in pediatric cancer. Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor of children. New approaches to treatment are needed, because current treatment can cause brain injury … Read more
Kabanov Elected 2018 Controlled Release Society Fellow
June 4, 2018Alexander “Sasha” Kabanov, Ph.D., Dr. Sci., has been selected for membership in the College of Fellows of the Controlled Release Society for his “outstanding contributions to the field of delivery science and technology.” Kabanov will be inducted into the college at the 45th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Controlled Release Society July 22–24 in New York City. Kabanov is the Mescal S. Ferguson Distinguished Professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics and the director of the School’s Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery. He is a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Elevation from member … Read more
Shawn Hingtgen Promoted to Associate Professor
June 1, 2018Shawn Hingtgen, Ph.D., a faculty member who is pioneering a new treatment for cancer using induced neural stem cells to deliver therapeutic agents, has been promoted to the rank of associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Due to their expansive utility, stem cell-based therapies hold the potential to redefine therapeutic approaches and provide cures for many terminal diseases, Hingtgen said. His lab seeks to harness the potential of stem cells to develop new and better methods for treating terminal cancer. They use an integrative approach that begins with creating specially designed targeted therapeutic proteins. They then “arm” … Read more
Kabanov Receives TBJ Life Sciences Award
May 10, 2018Alexander “Sasha” Kabanov, Ph.D., Dr. Sci., is a recipient of a 2018 Life Sciences Award from the Triangle Business Journal. Kabanov was nominated in the category of Outstanding Individual Research from Universities or Research Institutes. The award was presented at a ceremony held May 10 at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary. Kabanov is the Mescal S. Ferguson Distinguished Professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics and the director of the School’s Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery. He is a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 2017 a team led by Alexander Kabanov, … Read more
Third Carolina Nanoformulation Workshop Shares Discoveries in Nanomedicine
April 25, 2018From March 12 to 16, scientists from industry and academia came together at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy to learn about the latest advances in nanomedicine and to get hands-on experience with advanced nanoformulations at the third annual Carolina Nanoformulation Workshop. The workshop is a unique blend of classroom and hands-on training that stresses interaction and participation. The 2018 edition featured three days of seminars presented by 21 speakers followed by two days of practical experience in the laboratories of the School’s Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery. Twenty-seven participants have attended the workshop, with each experiencing a unique … Read more
Batrakova Gets $1.7 Million Grant to Treat Parkinson’s with Cell-Delivered Gene Therapy
April 16, 2018Elena Batrakova, Ph.D., is principal investigator on a new R01 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to explore cell-based gene delivery to the brain as a therapy for Parkinson’s disease. The grant is worth up to $1.7 million over five years. Batrakova and her team at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery will genetically modify white blood cells called monocytes to produce glial cell–derived neurotrophic factor, or GDNF, and deliver it to the brain. Glial cells provide support and protection for nerve cells throughout the brain and body, and GDNF … Read more
Time to Get Serious about Nanomaterials Databases, UNC Scientists Say
January 30, 2018Nanomaterials researchers urgently need well-structured and publicly accessible databases to advance their field, according to scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Research Triangle Institute. RTI transferred the Nanomaterial Registry database to UNC-Chapel Hill, and the University is offering it as a repository for the field’s collective knowledge. The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy administers the registry database. Scientists at the School and at RTI published a commentary in Nature Nanotechnology calling for concerted efforts among database stewards, researchers, funding agencies and publishers to encourage meaningful growth of existing nanomaterials databases. “The field of nanotechnology … Read more
Huang, Roth among 2017’s Most Highly Cited Researchers
January 29, 2018Leaf Huang, Ph.D., and Bryan Roth, M.D., Ph.D., both faculty members at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, were included in Clarivate Analytics’ roster of the most highly cited researchers of 2017. Clarivate Analytics assembled the roster of more than 3,300 highly cited researchers. The researchers included have published a high number of papers that rank in the top 1 percent most cited in 21 fields of science from 2005 to 2015. Huang, the Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, is included in the field of pharmacology and toxicology. Huang is a co-principal investigator … Read more
Kabanov to Lead Russian-American Science Society
December 13, 2017Alexander “Sasha” Kabanov, Ph.D., Dr.Sci., is the president-elect of the Russian-American Science Association. Kabanov was elected to his new post at the organization’s annual meeting at Northwestern University in Chicago on Nov. 4 and 5, where he also received the George Gamow Award for his work in drug delivery. He is the Mescal Swaim Feruguson Distinguished Professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, director of the School’s Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery and co-director of the Carolina Institute for Nanomedicine. Kabanov will take office as president of the association one year from now and will serve a two-year … Read more
Kabanov Elected to National Academy of Inventors
December 12, 2017Alexander “Sasha” Kabanov, Ph.D., Dr.Sci., Mescal Swaim Feruguson Distinguished Professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the organization announced Tuesday. Kabanov is the director of the School’s Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery and co-director of the Carolina Institute for Nanomedicine. Election to NAI fellow status is the highest professional accolade bestowed solely to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Kabanov … Read more