The W.M. Keck Foundation Nano Bio Chip
Interdisciplinary Team of Researchers Developing Nanochip for Real Time Disease Treatment
A team of Northeastern University researchers has received a $1.2 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to develop an innovative multifunctional nanochip with the long-term goal of it being used as a powerful nanobiosensor and drug delivery system, able to identify antigens in body fluid or tissue and release specific drugs and dosages in real-time, based on what is detected. The two year grant will support development of the nanochip's major design features and feasibility testing of the new design for biomarker monitoring and controlled drug release, both in vitro (in a laboratory setting) and in vivo (within a living organism) to determine detection limits, bio-fouling protection and effectiveness.
The researchers spearheading this unique interdisciplinary project come from three different schools within the University and bring very different areas of expertise to the project. Project leader Ahmed Busnaina, W.L. Smith professor of Engineering and Director of the NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing is joined by Barry Karger, James L. Waters Chair in Analytical Chemistry and Director of The Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, and Vladimir Torchilin, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Nanomedicine.
The W.M. Keck Foundation supports pioneering discoveries in science, engineering and medical research that lay the groundwork for breakthrough discoveries and new technologies that provide far-reaching benefits for humanity by investing in people and programs that make a difference in the quality of life, now and in the future.
Stay tuned for more information coming soon.
Visit the W. M. Keck Foundation Website
Northeastern University Press Release
