Matthew Zimmerman, Ph.D., will discuss nanomedicine and cardiovascular disease at the next Omaha Science Cafe, at 7 p.m., March 4 at the Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St.
Using tiny particles, nanomedicine has become a valuable research tool in helping to advance drug delivery systems, new therapies, and in vivo imaging. Nanomedicine uses nanoparticles that are 1,000 times smaller than cells to treat or repair single cells within the individually targeted cells. Dr. Zimmerman’s research focuses on development of a potentially new therapeutic target in the fight against hypertension.
In collaboration with investigators in the Nebraska Center for Nanomedicine at UNMC, Dr. Zimmerman’s laboratory is developing and evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of a nanomedicine-based delivery system for a protein called superoxide dismutase. This antioxidant enzyme scavenges superoxide in the brain and keeps its levels in check.
Dr. Zimmerman’s research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.
An associate professor in the department of cellular and integrative physiology at UNMC, Dr. Zimmerman’s research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Marian College (now Marian University) in Fond du Lac, Wis., and his Ph.D. in anatomy and cell biology from the University of Iowa in Iowa City. He received post-doctoral training in the free radical and radiation biology program at the University of Iowa.
Science Cafe is a free educational event sponsored by UNMC and other groups to increase the population’s science literacy. Hosted by UNMC and the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, Science Cafes are held the first Tuesday of each month in Omaha and one Thursday every other month in Lincoln. They are open to everyone 21 and older.
This Science Cafe is a partnership with the Omaha Children’s Museum. Tyler Swain, creative arts center lead for the Omaha Children’s Museum, will present an interactive hands-on activity to go along with the talk at the end of the presentation.
Free pizza, available for the first 50 people, will be provided by the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures. For more information about Science Cafes, click here.