Professor\u27s drug delivery research could improve treatment options for cancer, rheumatoid arthriti

Newsom, Michael

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eGrove (Univ. of Mississippi)

University of Mississippi eGrove University of Mississippi News 3-23-2022 Riding on Red Blood Cells Michael Newsom Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umnews Recommended Citation Newsom, Michael, "Riding on Red Blood Cells" (2022). University of Mississippi News. 4396. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umnews/4396 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Mississippi News by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact egrove@olemiss.edu. Search this website … SearchStudent researchers work in Eden Tanner’s lab in Coulter Hall. Tanner and her team are studying new ways touse red blood cells and platelets to transport chemotherapies and other medicines to specific areas of thebody. Submitted photoRiding on Red Blood CellsProfessor's drug delivery research could improve treatment options for cancer,rheumatoid arthritisMARCH 23, 2022 BY MICHAEL NEWSOMOXFORD, Miss. – A University of Mississippi professor and her team of researchers are working onnew ways to use red blood cells and platelets to transport chemotherapies and other medicines tospecific areas of the body, which could greatly reduce patients’ side effects.Eden Tanner, UM assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has been awarded aPharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America‘s Research Starter Grant in Drug Deliveryfor $100,000 to help fund the work. The grant, which is given to one winner annually, is designed fortenure-track faculty who are in the earliest stages of their careers to advance their research in drugdelivery.Tanner’s research interests focus on solving biomedical and bioengineering problems using physicalchemistry and, particularly, ionic liquids and nanomaterials. She is working to figure out ways to useionic liquids and nanomaterials to bond to the blood components and send medicines to specific areas.“We are really excited about the potential that this technology offers,” Tanner said. “Currently, if you getlung cancer and surgery is not an option, basically you just get bathed in chemotherapy.“It makes people very ill. It is not a very positive experience.” The lab in Coulter Hall where she works contains vials of ionic liquids in varying viscosities, some ofthem looking like honey or maple syrup. Researchers are using different ones to determine which workbest for different types of drugs.She explains the concept of cellular hitchhiking using the example of someone being treated for lungcancer.“If we could instead just target the lung, for instance, and not have it go everywhere, this means the sideeffect profile is much less severe and people aren’t as sick,” Tanner said. “Our technology could beused to hitch a ride on red blood cells, which then deliver our cargo to the lungs, as opposed toeverywhere else in the body.” Tanner holds a bachelor’s degree in advanced science from the University of South Wales in Australiaand a doctorate in physical and theoretical chemistry from the University of Oxford in England, whereshe was a postdoctoral fellow. She also served as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University.Read the story …Read the story …Follow us on socialCampus BriefsDonations Sought for 25th AnnualBooks and Bears ProgramOXFORD, Miss. – The University ofMississippi is asking the community tohelp spread a little joy this holiday seasonby donating to the 25th annual Books andBears program. Donations such as toys,books, dolls, bicycles and other children’splay items are being accepted throughDec. 14. All donations will be collected andsortedMore Posts from this CategoryThank You To OurDonorsMississippi Excellence in CoachingFellowship Aims to Build LeadersOXFORD, Miss. – Twenty-five inauguralrecipients of the Mississippi Excellence inCoaching Fellowship – a program hostedby the University of Mississippi School ofEducation in partnership with theMississippi Association of Coaches andthe Mississippi High School ActivitiesAssociation – are expected to increasetheir impact on student-athletes and theircommunities. The coaching fellowshipMore Posts from this CategoryOle Miss In the NewsClarion-Ledger: New EssayCollection Tells the Story ofMeredith’s EnrollmentEssays celebrate 60th anniversary ofJames Meredith’s enrollment at Universityof Mississippi By Lauren Rhoades Oct. 1marks the 60th anniversary of JamesMeredith’s 1962 enrollment atthe University of Mississippi as theschool’s first African-American student.News Releases UM COVID-19 Video Gallery University Communications Ole Miss Homepage Ole Miss News BlogFacebookTwitterLin edInEmailCopyLinkSMSPrintFriendlySharFacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedInYouTubeChannelEden TannerChemistry professor Eden Tanner (front left) andher team of researchers are a diverse group,including one postdoctoral scholar, six graduatestudents and 18 undergraduates, who havemajors ranging from chemistry and pharmacy toengineering. Submitted photoTanner said she will use the award to continue training the next generationof drug delivery scientists. The funding will help procure technologies forthe experiments and to hire assistants for the work.She is pleased with not only the strength of the group assembled, but alsothat they come from many different backgrounds. All bring differentexperiences, perspectives and special skills to the table, she said. Amongthem are one postdoctoral scholar, six Ole Miss graduate students and 18undergraduates, who have majors ranging from chemistry and pharmacy toengineering. Some 65% of the group are women or nonbinary people, and 40% arepeople of color, Tanner said.“I have a large team of excellent students,” Tanner said. “It is a verycollaborative group effort. This is not a ‘lone genius’ situation.“We bring people together from chemistry and pharmacy and other areas because we need theirexpertise to help us advance this along.” Karen Wong, a senior biochemistry and Chinese major from Gulfport, said her work focuses on targetingplatelets within the blood. Working on the project has taught her the importance of such research. It’s an exciting process, too, she said. “Engaging in research has allowed me to gain an understanding of how important it is to the medicalworld because there are so many limitations and risks associated with medical procedures as well asdrugs,” Wong said.“In addition, it is a very meticulous and slow process to work toward advancing science, but one mustbe patient and never give up on it because you never know when you’ll have a scientific breakthrough!” She’s also learning the value of teamwork in the lab. “Each experiment requires a lot of preparation, and Ilearned the importance of teamwork because itmakes carrying out large experiments more efficientbecause each one of us was responsible forsynthesizing specific nanoparticles, splitting thetasks, and putting our work together, in the end,made everything go much smoother,” Wong said.Joh’nis Randall, a junior pharmaceutical sciencesmajor from Jackson, said the experience has been“nothing short of amazing.” The work has taught hermuch more than just the necessary parts she neededto learn.Randall said she has grown during the process andappreciates Tanner and the rest of the team forpushing her to be her best.“From the early mornings and late nights in the lab,preparing for the day of the bloodwork was always atedious task,” she said. “Doing this project has gotten me out of my shell and has expanded myknowledge on different aspects of physical chemistry. Randall wants to make a difference. “I hope that we all make a breakthrough in scientific discovery that would one day change how medicineworks,” Randall said.The way the lab is structured creates many chances for collaboration, a skill important in any career,said Meghan Gorniak, a senior chemistry major from Glen Carbon, Illinois.“This lab has pushed me to think critically and to understand the application of so many scientifictopics,” Gorniak said. “I hope that my work on white blood cells can help further medical sciencediscoveries.“I cannot thank Dr. Tanner enough for being my mentor and teaching me how cool research can be.” FILED UNDER: CHEMISTRY, FEATURED NEWS, NEWS RELEASES, RESEARCH AND SPONSORED PROGRAMSRead the story …“James Meredith: Breaking the Barrier,” acollection of essays edited by UMprofessor of journalism Kathleen Wickham,honors this historic milestone withMore Posts from this CategoryRetu rn  to  to p  o f  p a ge Copyright © 2022 · Th e Un iversity  o f  M ississ ip p i

Riding on Red Blood Cells

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Riding on Red Blood Cells

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