Last year, the Nebraska Center for Nanomedicine entered phase II of the COBRE grant process when it was awarded more than $11.2 million to continue and expand its cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research into nanotechnology.
UNMC researcher Tatiana Bronich, Ph.D., is the principal investigator on the grant. Dr. Bronich is the Parke-Davis Professor in Pharmaceutics, UNMC College of Pharmacy, and co-director of the Center for Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine.
Nanomedicine uses a broad variety of well-defined nanostructured materials to deliver drugs, genes and diagnostic agents safely to the site of disease or injury.
“The continuing COBRE support will further solidify our efforts in the areas of drug delivery and nanomedicine,” said Dr. Bronich, who is the 2014 Scientist Laureate at UNMC.
“It allows us to continue our truly interdisciplinary research at the university.”
The grant will continue to help build a critical mass of investigators. Five junior investigators are supported through the grant along with two pilot projects that focus on prevention of surgical site infection and early detection of cancer.
In addition, the grant will support two research core facilities: the bioimaging core, directed by Michael Boska, Ph.D., radiology department; and the nanomaterials core, co-directed by Dr. Bronich and Dong Wang, Ph.D., pharmaceutical sciences.