Elena V Batrakova, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor, Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics
Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery
PHONE(919) 537-3712
batrakov@email.unc.edu
ADDRESS
MARSICO HALL, Office 2209, CB# 7362, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599
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The main focus of Batrakova’s research is to develop a CNS delivery system for antioxidants and neuronal growth factors to attenuate neuroinflammation and produce neuroprotection in patients with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and Lysosomal Storage disorder, Batten disease. For this purpose, her group utilizes inflammatory-response cells, macrophages and monocytes that can migrate toward the inflammation site, cross the blood brain barrier, and release the preloaded drugs in the brain. Thus, living cells can act as Trojan horses, delivering potent therapeutics across the blood brain barrier. Recently, the main focus of Dr. Batrakova’s group is on the development of personalized drug delivery systems by loading therapeutics into immune response cells or extracellular vesicles (EVs) released from these cells. Overall, she has published over 140 papers and filed 20+ US and foreign patents on the application of drug delivery systems of biologically active molecules. She is a highly cited of total 10 scientists at UNC, and a Thomson Reuters agency named her top 1% Highly Cited Researcher.
Education, Certification and Licensure
- 1983: M.S. in chemistry from M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU)
- 1987: Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry at the Department of Polymers, MSU
Current Projects
- Cell-based Platform for Gene Delivery to the Brain
- Extracellular Vesicles for CNS Delivery of Therapeutic Enzymes to Treat Lysosomal Storage Disorders
- Cell-Mediated Targeted Redox Intervention for the Treatment and Prevention of Atherosclerosis
- Inflammatory Cells for Transport of Therapeutic Polypeptides Across the BBB
Research
- Development of cell-mediated drug delivery systems to attenuate neuroinflammation and produce neuroprotection in patients with PD
- Development of polymer-based drug delivery systems for the chemotherapy and central nervous system disorders
- Functional studies of the blood-brain barrier and CNS drug transport
- Inhibition of drug efflux transporters, including p-glycoprotein, multidrug resistance-associated protein, and breast cancer resistant protein
- Development of exosomal-based drug delivery systems
Honors and Awards
| 2020 | Editorial Board, Pharmaceutics |
| 2019 | Editorial Board, Cells |
| 2017 | Author of the Top 25% most cited PlosOne articles |
| Editorial Board, International Journal of Neurodegenerative Disorders | |
| Editorial Board, Alzheimer’s and Parkinsonism: Research Therapy | |
| 2016 | Author of the Top Ten WNAN Article accessed in 2016 |
| Leader for Scientific Advisory Board for the Neurosensory and Neuroregenerative Research Foundation (NNRF) | |
| UNC Academic Excellence Award in Research | |
| Award for outstanding contributions to the PharmD Program UNC, Chapel Hill, NC | |
| Editorial board, Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (JCP) |
| Editorial board, Mathews Journal of Cancer Science | |
| 2015 | Editorial board, Journal of Bioanalytical Techniques |
| Editorial board, International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Research | |
| Scientific Advisory Board for the neurosensory and Neuroregenerative Research Foundation | |
| The most downloaded article in Journal of Controlled Release corresponding author | |
| 2014 | Research Innovation Award, UNMC |
| 2013 – 2014 | UNC Academic Excellence Award in Research |
| 2014 | Top 1% highly cited researcher in Pharmaceutics and Toxicology; http://highlycited.com/ |
| 2014 – 2017 | Editorial Board, Journal of Drug Delivery |
| 2014 | A Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher |
| Highly cited of total 10 scientists at UNC 2014 | |
| Editorial Board, Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine (Elsevier) | |
| 2012 – 2013 | UNC Academic Excellence Award in Research |
| 2011 | UNMC Innovation, Development and Engagement Award (IDEA) |
| 2010 | Top cited article in 2008-2010 Award in Journal of Controlled Release |
| Oldfield/Reagan Alzheimer’s Research Award | |
| 2009 | UNMC New Investigator Award |
News
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Batrakova Gets $1.7 Million Grant to Treat Parkinson’s with Cell-Delivered Gene Therapy
Elena 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 … Read more
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Batrakova Makes Cancer Drug 50 Times More Potent by Delivering It with Exosomes
For the first time, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have packaged the cancer drug paclitaxel in exosomes — containers derived from a patient’s own immune system — to make it 50 times more potent against … Read more
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Smart Cells Teach Neurons Damaged by Parkinson’s to Heal Themselves
As 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 … Read more
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UNC Team Uses Cellular Bubbles to Deliver Parkinson’s Meds Directly to Brain
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have used exosomes — tiny bubbles of protein and fat produced naturally by cells — to bypass the body’s defenses and deliver a potent biopharmaceutical directly to the brain to … Read more
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Two Professors Included in Highly Cited Researchers List
Thomson Reuters’s 2014 Highly Cited Researchers list includes two UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy professors. Alexander “Sasha” Kabanov, PhD, and Elena Batrakova, PhD, are among the top one percent cited in their subject field. Kabanov and Batrakova are members of … Read more
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Kabanov Leads Nanomedicine Team from Nebraska to UNC Pharmacy
A group of twenty researchers from the University of Nebraska moved halfway across the country this summer to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to join the Center for Nanotechnology and Drug Delivery in the UNC Eshelman School … Read more