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Contact: Sarah Nicholas

STARKVILLE, Miss.ā€”Mississippi State staff and faculty are part of a statewide team tasked with enhancing nanobiotechnology and positioning the Magnolia State as a healthcare hub.Ā 

The Mississippi Nano-bio and Immuno-Engineering Consortium, which includes researchers from Ļć½¶Ö±²„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, Ļć½¶Ö±²„is receiving $1.53 million of the grant for its portion of the work.Ā 

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.Ā 

Ļć½¶Ö±²„Professor of Chemistry Nicholas Fitzkee is the principal investigator of MSUā€™s research funding. Fitzkee said the projectā€™s goal is to create ā€œnext-generation materialsā€ for innovative healthcare solutions.

ā€œThe NIEC will develop new materials, test their interaction with biological systems, and evaluate their effectiveness in treating diseases to address health disparities in Mississippi,ā€ he said. ā€œNanotechnologies are increasingly being developed to treat cancers and for detection, but a significant problem arises for these materialsā€”we 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.ā€

Ļć½¶Ö±²„researchers are optimizing biomaterial coatings and minimizing the interaction with the bodyā€™s 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 goalsā€”to 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.

The Ļć½¶Ö±²„team includes Katherine Echols, executive director of research initiatives and innovation at MSUā€™s Office of Research and Economic Development; Steven Gwaltney, a professor in MSUā€™s Department of Chemistry; and Lauren Priddy, an associate professor in MSUā€™s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

The University of Mississippi is spearheading the consortium, which includes faculty from MSU, 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. Ā 

Funding is supported by the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Researchā€™s Research Incubators for STEM Excellence Research Infrastructure Improvement (EPSCoR RISE RII) grant No.Ā 2414442.Ā 

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