Category: Research
Lisa Tarantino appointed as new Assistant Dean for Research
June 26, 2024The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy has appointed its new Assistant Dean for Research. Lisa Tarantino, Ph.D., will join the School and its research enterprise on July 1. Tarantino has her own lab in the UNC School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, but in her role as the faculty director of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP), she discovered her interest in working on an administrative level. “For the last four years, I’ve been the faculty director for the medical school’s biomedical graduate program,” said Tarantino. “Through that role, I realized that I really enjoyed learning how the University functions … Read more
NIH award leads to deeper study of brain malformations
June 24, 2024How seizures, epilepsy and other brain malformations develop from genetic variants is not fully understood, but a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) award will pave the way toward understanding the cause and potentially lead to new therapies. New (non-inherited) genetic variants can arise as cells divide during embryonic development and give rise to mosaicism—sets of cells that are genetically different from one another. Such variants have been shown to cause seizures and brain malformations. The abnormal mosaic brain tissue can sometimes be surgically removed to treat the seizures caused by these genetic variants. This new NIH award of more … Read more
Carolina collaboration yields next-generation medical bandage
June 19, 2024Written by Carleigh Gabryel From chronic wounds to battlefield triage to heart surgery, this self-sticking bandage is designed to adapt to any body surface, internal or external, creating a bond stronger than current FDA-approved adhesives. The applications of this innovation are detailed in Nature Communications. “Our patch mimics the skin’s expandability and flexibility, stretching as a person moves,” says principal investigator Juliane Nguyen, professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. “Normal bandages contract in one direction as they expand in another. Ours are designed to expand in both directions, preventing tissue damage and promoting … Read more
Monash Ph.D. student enhances Alzheimer’s research while at Carolina
June 10, 2024When he’s not cycling around Chapel Hill and exploring all that North Carolina has to offer, Ethan Kreutzer can be found studying at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as part of his Globalization of Pharmaceutics Education Network (GPEN) travel fellowship. The purpose of the fellowship, also known as The Ronald T. and Pamela K. Borchardt Travel Fellowship, is to provide an international experience for graduate students where they can learn something new to enhance their research between GPEN institutions. “In addition to learning something new, I think the opportunity to travel to another country and another institution to see … Read more
PharmAlliance provides global experience for Ph.D. student
June 3, 2024Third-year Ph.D. student Ryan Woodring had never traveled internationally until attending the PharmAlliance conference in Italy in July 2023. He grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, and his high school graduating class was 63 people. Upon graduation he was ready to explore new opportunities. This desire led him to study chemical engineering and biomedical engineering at Pennsylvania State University. Through various internships and research projects, he knew that applying his passion for engineering to health sciences was his next step. “I’ve always been interested in the health sciences space, and I had several mentors encourage me to pursue … Read more
Triangle CERSI projects include advancements in clinical trial design along with addressing gaps toward mitigating consequences of opioid use
May 29, 2024Triangle CERSI has made great progress on the first set of funded research projects, including the impact of xylazine when added to fentanyl, efforts to reduce opioid misuse and how to account for data complexities in clinical trials. Triangle CERSI, awarded to the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is a joint endeavor that includes the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, North Carolina State University and North Carolina Central University. It was launched in 2023 with an award from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for up to $50 million over five years and receives support … Read more
Research aims to help repurpose approved medications for rare diseases
May 16, 2024The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, in collaboration with the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is using data science and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and validate clinical new uses of existing drugs for rare diseases, also known as drug repurposing. The School and RENCI received a $3.2 million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the first award in which Carolina is named by the agency. Being able to identify and validate new uses of drugs requires a critical initial step of hypothesis generation and computational validation, which … Read more
Researchers Engineer Yeast to Deliver Drugs, Reduce Inflammation for Possible Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment
May 8, 2024Written by Kendall Daniels, UNC Health | UNC School of Medicine Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex condition that requires individualized care to meet the needs of the patient’s current disease state. With available medications sometimes causing serious side effects or losing their efficacy over time, many researchers have been exploring new, more targeted ways of delivering medications or other beneficial compounds, such as probiotics. To address pitfalls in IBD treatment and drug delivery, the labs of Juliane Nguyen, PhD, professor and vice chair of pharmacoengineering and molecular pharmaceuticals at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and Janelle Arthur, PhD, associate professor … Read more
Ph.D. student aims to make global impact through vaccine research
May 1, 2024Grace Williamson, Ph.D. candidate, found inspiration and purpose during her gap year experience in 2017. She grew up in Iowa City, IA, ten minutes down the road from the University of Iowa, where she planned to attend college. Although she was looking forward to her future studies, her Norwegian heritage valued a gap year between high school and college, and she was anxious to have a global experience. Little did she know that the next year would impact her Ph.D. research years later. “My gap year was instrumental in leading me to where I am today,” Williamson said. She lived … Read more
RASP poster presentations capture student research
April 18, 2024Third year Pharm.D. students in the Research and Scholarship in Pharmacy (RASP) pathway presented their research findings to peers, faculty and staff members of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy on April 17. “The RASP poster session remains a highlight of our academic calendar, showcasing the remarkable achievements of our students within the RASP pathway,” said Kathryn Morbitzer, Pharm.D., RASP program director and associate professor in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education. “This celebratory event not only highlights the culmination of over a year of dedicated research and innovation, but also marks a pivotal moment for our students … Read more