Category: Divisions
NIH Funds CNDD Proposal to Develop New Stroke Treatment
October 7, 2015Researchers in the Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy have received a translational NIH grant worth $783,000 over two years to develop a way to deliver to the brain a protein capable of repairing some of the damage caused by stroke. The grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke will fund the CNDD’s efforts to design a new nanoparticle delivery system capable of transporting a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor to the brain and central nervous system. BDNF is a protein that supports the survival of and growth of certain … Read more
PK/PD Modeling Expert Alan Forrest Joins DPET Faculty
October 6, 2015Alan Forrest, Pharm.D., a researcher and educator with more than 30 years’ experience in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics modeling, has joined the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as a clinical professor in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics. “Dr. Forrest is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of pharmacometrics whose innovative research in optimizing individual patient therapy and in advanced application of pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicodynamic systems analysis has impacted drug development and pharmacotherapy in meaningful ways,” says Dean Bob Blouin, Pharm.D. “He is recognized widely as the expert on adaptive feedback control and individualizing therapy using novel … Read more
UNC Pharmacy Is Newest Member of International Structural Genomics Consortium
September 15, 2015The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is the first U.S. hub of a worldwide research network dedicated to defining the structure of proteins and freely sharing its discoveries with the scientific community to drive the development of new therapeutics. UNC joins Oxford University, the University of Toronto, and the State University of Campinas in São Paulo, Brazil, as a core laboratory of the Structural Genomics Consortium, an international, not-for-profit, public-private partnership that carries out basic science in drug discovery and makes its research output available to the scientific community with no strings attached. “The SGC identifies new drug discovery targets … Read more
UNC Researchers Awarded $11.3 Million for Cancer Nanotechnology Research
September 14, 2015University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers received an $11.3 million, five-year grant to conduct multiple studies exploring the use of nanoparticles to create cancer vaccines and improve cancer drug delivery and responses. The grant is the third in a series of awards that the university has received from the National Cancer Institute for cancer nanotechnology research. It will fund work by researchers with the Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, an NCI-funded collaboration between UNC-Chapel Hill and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. “UNC-Chapel Hill has emerged as a leader in nanotechnology in the last 10 years,” said … Read more
Smart Cells Teach Neurons Damaged by Parkinson’s to Heal Themselves
September 8, 2015As a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created smarter immune cells that produce and deliver a neuron-healing protein to the brain while also teaching nerve cells to begin making the protein for themselves. Associate Professor Elena Batrakova, Ph.D., and her team at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery genetically modified white blood cells called macrophages 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, … Read more
Tom Angelo Joins School to Support Educational Research and Innovation
August 25, 2015Thomas Angelo, Ed.D., has been appointed as a clinical professor of educational innovation and research in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education and director of educator development in the Academy. In this dual appointment, Angelo will develop hands-on workshops and other resources to support the School’s reengineered Pharm.D. curriculum, as well as coteaching some courses. He will also collaborate on educational research and assessment projects and mentor junior faculty, fellows and graduate students. “The hiring of Dr. Angelo serves as a prominent symbol of the School’s commitment to the pursuit of excellence and innovation in student learning,” said … Read more
Amber Proctor Joins School in First DPET Position Shared with UNC Hospitals
August 24, 2015Amber Proctor, Pharm.D., has joined the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as one of the newest members of the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapy. Proctor’s appointment is cofunded by UNC Hospitals, where she will also act as a clinical oncology specialist in thoracic oncology. Proctor began her appointment on August 1, 2015, after completing a PGY2 hematology and oncology pharmacy specialty residency at UNC Hospitals in June. “I am thrilled that Amber Proctor is DPET’s first shared position with the UNC Medical Center,” said Angela Kashuba, Pharm.D., DPET chair and John and Deborah McNeill Jr. Distinguished Professor. “She will … Read more
Yanguang Cao Joins DPET Faculty as Assistant Professor
August 24, 2015Yanguang “Carter” Cao, Ph.D., has joined the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as of August 1. Cao comes to UNC from the State University of New York at Buffalo. “Dr. Cao’s dedication to research, his ability to be an effective teacher and his many outstanding personal attributes bode well for success here at the School,” says Angela Kashuba, Pharm.D., DPET chair and the John and Deborah McNeill Jr. Distinguished Professor. “He is a promising young investigator in the quantitative sciences, and he will be a highly valuable addition to our faculty at … Read more
Daniel Crona to Join DPET as Assistant Professor
August 18, 2015Daniel Crona, Pharm.D., Ph.D., will join the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as a tenure-track assistant professor on October 1. Crona will also have an appointment at the North Carolina Cancer Hospital where he will work as a clinical pharmacist specialist in genitourinary oncology. Crona’s research has focused on identifying and validating novel genetic variants associated with survival in patients with advanced or metastatic kidney cancer. Discovery of these variants could help health-care providers identify the patients that would benefit most from different oral chemotherapeutics. “Dan Crona is a highly promising young … Read more
$2.4 Million NIH Grant to Support Study of Tumor Penetration by Nanogel
August 10, 2015UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy nanomedicine researchers received a five-year grant to study whether the properties of certain nanomaterials would improve the delivery of cancer treatments to their tumor targets. The $2.42 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund a collaborative research effort between scientists at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as well as at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The researchers plan to study whether the use of a drug-carrying nanoparticle material they’ve designed called the core-shell nanogel can better penetrate tumors. “The whole idea of this … Read more