Category: Faculty
Lai’s Gates Grant Will Put Viruses in Sticky Situation
November 9, 2010The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to fund a pharmacy researcher’s efforts to halt pathogens invading the body by stopping them in the mucous membranes. Samuel Lai, PhD, an assistant professor in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, had his project selected as one of sixty-five grants announced by the Gates Foundation in the fifth funding round of Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to help scientists around the world explore bold and largely unproven ways to improve health in developing countries. The grants … Read more
Brouwer Named Oregon State Alumni Fellow
November 3, 2010Kim L. R. Brouwer, PharmD, PhD, was named an Alumni Fellow by Oregon State University at a dinner and awards ceremony on October 29 in Corvallis, Oregon. “Dr. Brouwer remains a Beaver at heart, even with the time spent at other universities during her career,” says Wayne A. Kradjan, dean of the College of Pharmacy. “Selection of Dr. Brouwer showcases the scientific achievements of alumni from the College of Pharmacy.” Brouwer is the William R. Kenan Distinguished Professor and chair of the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics and a professor in the curriculum in toxicology. She received a bachelor’s … Read more
Sleath Named Chair of DPOP
November 1, 2010Betsy Sleath, PhD, has been appointed chair of the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She has also been named the George H. Cocolas Distinguished Professor. Sleath has served as interim director of the division since the former chair Michael D. Murray stepped down in March. “In her role as interim division chair, Betsy Sleath has clearly demonstrated her leadership ability and vision for DPOP by mentoring junior faculty and developing a high-impact strategic plan for the division,” says Bob Blouin, dean of the School. “She has also worked to build valuable partnerships … Read more
Corbett Named ACCP Fellow
October 15, 2010Amanda Corbett, PharmD, has been elected a fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Fellowship is the highest honor the college can bestow upon a member. Corbett is a clinical associate professor in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics. She is also a clinical assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine, a clinical associate for the UNC Center for AIDS Research, and a member of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Translational Research and Drug Development Scientific Committee and a pharmacologist for the ACTG. Corbett will be officially inducted as a fellow in October at a special … Read more
School Receives $6.6 Million to Finish Developing Radiation-Scrubbing Drug
October 15, 2010The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy has received a $6.6 million federal contract to complete work on an easily-administered medication that can help clear radioactive elements from the body. The contract, awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has tasked UNC researchers led by principal investigator Michael Jay, PhD, with creating a form of diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid, commonly known as DTPA, that can be administered orally and distributed quickly to people affected by a nuclear accident or dirty-bomb attack. Dirty bombs are explosive devices designed to spread radioactive contamination. … Read more
Frye Awarded Two NCI Drug-Discovery Contracts
October 6, 2010As part of a national effort to accelerate the identification and testing of new anticancer drugs, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., a prime contractor to the National Cancer Institute has awarded two contracts totaling $2.4 million to two teams of UNC scientists to initiate the discovery of drugs for the treatment of childhood leukemia and brain tumors. Stephen Frye, PhD, professor of medicinal chemistry and director of the UNC Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is principal investigator. Frye is also a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. The two centers are collaborating on … Read more
Scientists Receive Nanotechnology Grant to Fight Pancreatic Cancer
September 28, 2010A team of UNC scientists has received a five-year $2,308,800 grant from the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnerships to address the critical need for early diagnosis of and more effective treatments for pancreatic cancer. Wenbin Lin, PhD, professor of chemistry and pharmacy, and Jen Jen Yeh, MD, assistant professor of surgery, are the principal investigators. Leaf Huang, PhD, Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor and chair of molecular pharmaceutics in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is the co-investigator. All are members of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Lin is a faculty member in the UNC College of Arts … Read more
NCI Awards $13.6 Million to UNC Nanotech Center
September 24, 2010Leaf Huang, PhD, and Russ Mumper, PhD, of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy are among the project managers who will benefit from a five-year, $13.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence based at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, for research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer through applying or using advances in nanotechnology. The grant will support the continued work of the center, which was launched in 2005 as part of NCI’s Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer. The C-CCNE, one of … Read more
Synthetic Cofactor Is a Better Backbone for Synthetic Heparin
September 22, 2010Jian Liu, PhD, has taken another step forward in his quest for a synthetic version of the drug heparin by improving the process of building the drug molecule’s backbone using chemically modified cofactors instead of natural cofactors. Liu and colleagues at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy outline their procedure in the article “Chemoenzymatic Design of Heparan Sulfate Oligosaccharides” published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Liu is working to perfect Recomparin, a man-made heparin replacement that he has developed. “This is a milder, more efficient process,” Liu says. “It allows for a more precise structure that gives us a … Read more
Cox Promoted to Assistant Dean
August 19, 2010Wendy Cox, PharmD, currently the director of student services at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has been promoted to assistant dean of professional education. “This promotion is well deserved. Wendy Cox has done exceptional work as a member of the faculty and as director of student services,” says Robert A. Blouin, dean of the School. “This new position is critical to the success of the School as our professional education program continues to expand and evolve.” Cox is a clinical assistant professor in the Division of Pharmacy Practice and Experiential Education. During her tenure in student services, the School’s … Read more