A Virginia Tech chemist has been awarded a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct research that will aid in the development of new heart disease and cancer medicines that have fewer side effects.
Theresa Reineke, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Science, was awarded an NIH New Innovator grant, which is designed to fund research that is in its earliest stages and holds potential for exceptionally high impact.
Reineke's research group is creating carbohydrate-based polymers for the delivery of genetic drugs to combat both cancer and heart disease. The newly developed molecules can travel into cells, deliver genetic drugs, and carry a tracking ability so that scientists can follow its movements in living systems. Her research was featured in Oct. 6, 2009, edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/09/23/0904860106.abstract).
"This grant will allow us to gain a better understanding of the cellular mechanisms involved in the delivery of polymeric drug carriers for both illnesses," Reineke said. "These studies will ultimately lead to the development of medicines that are more specific to their disease targets and therefore are less toxic to other parts of the human system."
Synthetic polymers that are compatible with biological systems are playing important roles in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, Reineke said.
"Understanding how biomaterials interact with and affect living systems is one of the most important and fundamental problems in biomedical research," she said.