Achievement

Systemic administration of drugs in chemotherapy suffers from undesired side effects and subsequently sub-optimal dosage is usually administered. Using nano-based carriers for the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs is one of the most promising approaches in the battle against cancer. IGERT trainee Bobby Riehle is developing a novel cationic lipid-based nanocarrier for improved delivery of siRNA. The surface of these nanocarriers have been modified with two cell surface targeting moieties-folic acid and transferring for active targeting to cancer cells. Neuroprotection and drug delivery for Alzheimer?s disease using polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing nanoemulsions is being investigated by IGERT trainee Thomas Barchet. IGERT trainee Brendan Harmon is working on a project developing gene therapy approach for Parkinson?s disease using intranasal delivery of GDNF-expressing nanoparticles to the brain.