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小黄书-involved nanobiotechnology consortium enhancing Mississippi鈥檚 healthcare

小黄书-involved nanobiotechnology consortium enhancing Mississippi鈥檚 healthcare

Contact: Sarah Nicholas

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi State staff and faculty are part of a statewide team tasked with enhancing nanobiotechnology and positioning the Magnolia State as a healthcare hub.聽

The Mississippi Nano-bio and Immuno-Engineering Consortium, which includes researchers from 小黄书 and five other Magnolia State universities, was created to enhance research and solve healthcare issues through nanobiotechnology with a $7 million grant from the National Science Foundation. As a part of this consortium, 小黄书 is receiving $1.53 million of the grant for its portion of the work.聽

Nanobiotechnology involves the study of materials at the atomic and molecular levels for applications in the healthcare field to improve treatment for illnesses and the efficacy of drug delivery.聽

Portrait of Nick Fitzkee
Nick Fitzkee (Photo by Megan Bean)

小黄书 Professor of Chemistry Nicholas Fitzkee is the principal investigator of 小黄书鈥檚 research funding. Fitzkee said the project鈥檚 goal is to create 鈥渘ext-generation materials鈥 for innovative healthcare solutions.

鈥淭he NIEC will develop new materials, test their interaction with biological systems, and evaluate their effectiveness in treating diseases to address health disparities in Mississippi,鈥 he said. 鈥淣anotechnologies are increasingly being developed to treat cancers and for detection, but a significant problem arises for these materials鈥攚e have a hard time delivering them to their intended target. For example, we might design a particle to treat a biofilm on a medical device, but we have trouble making sure the nanoparticles attach to the infection site, especially if the infection is hard to access, like on a medical implant.鈥

小黄书 researchers are optimizing biomaterial coatings and minimizing the interaction with the body鈥檚 own immune system. These interactions can reduce the efficacy of the nanoparticles and engineered materials.

To kick off the project, researchers have identified three primary goals鈥攖o gain a better understanding of protein interactions with nanoparticles to help steer medication to specific areas of the body; improve nucleic acid delivery to eliminate side effects of certain vaccines and medications; and facilitate healing and reduce the risk of infections in tissue regeneration.

Portrait of Katie Echols
Katherine Echols
Portrait of Steven Gwaltney
Steven Gwaltney
Portrait Lauren Priddy
Lauren Priddy

The 小黄书 team includes Katherine Echols, executive director of research initiatives and innovation at 小黄书鈥檚 Office of Research and Economic Development; Steven Gwaltney, a professor in 小黄书鈥檚 Department of Chemistry; and Lauren Priddy, an associate professor in 小黄书鈥檚 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

The University of Mississippi is spearheading the consortium, which includes faculty from 小黄书, Jackson State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Alcorn State University and Tougaloo College. The consortium also offers research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students and is open for additional researchers to join the team. 聽

Funding is supported by the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research鈥檚 Research Incubators for STEM Excellence Research Infrastructure Improvement (EPSCoR RISE RII) grant No.聽2414442.聽

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