Drexel Materials faculty have received seed funding to pursue innovative biomedical research in collaboration with faculty from the College of Medicine.
Dr. Hao Cheng
Assistant Professor Hao Cheng along with PI Dr. Wilbur Browne of the Department of Surgery have received funding for “Validating a novel drug delivery platform for cancer therapy through human sample analysis and in vivo studies.” With this funding, the researchers are looking to develop novel drug-encapsulated nanoparticles for cancer therapy. The particles will be designed for enhanced tumor targeting and therapeutic diffusion within solid tumors. In addition to animal studies, patient specimens will be analyzed to validate the importance of the design in cancer therapy.
Dr. Michele Marcolongo
Department Head and Professor Michele Marcolongo along with PI Dr. Mary Mulcahey of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery have received funding for “The effect of intra-articular knee injections of biomimetic aggrecan in an in vivo arthritic rabbit model.” Through this work they hope to provide a minimally invasive treatment to alleviate the pain and loss of motion due to osteoarthritis.
Funding for these seed grants has been provided by Drexel University’s Clinical & Translational Research Institute (CTRI) and gives $75,000 grants for one year to teams looking to expand the scope and impact of biomedical research. The goal of the CTRI is to create a robust and collaborative infrastructure to provide the resources needed for faculty to pursue cutting edge research that is competitive for external funding.