Researchers at the University of Georgia are developing a new treatment technique that uses nanoparticles to reprogram immune cells so they are able to recognize and attack cancer. The findings were published recently in the early online edition of ACS Nano.

The human body operates under a constant state of martial law. Chief among the enforcers charged with maintaining order is the immune system, a complex network that seeks out and destroys the hordes of invading bacteria and viruses that threaten the organic society as it goes about its work.

Gregory H. Robinson, Franklin Professor and Distinguished Research Professor of Chemistry at the University of Georgia, has been appointed the UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor in Chemistry. The special appointment was approved by the Board of Regents at its May 2013 meeting and will be effective as of August.

Jenna Bilbrey, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry at UGA, is the 2013 awardee of the Beverly Hirsh Frank Graduate Fellowship for Women in Science. This university-wide award is made to a single graduate student annually, and is meant “to recruit, support, and encourage exceptional graduate-level study and research in all fields of life and physical sciences with emphasis in interdisciplinary and emerging fields”.

Genetically modified Ferritin nanoparticles have been used to selectively deliver a photosensitizer to tumors and prevent the traditional pitfalls of using Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) (ACS Nano 2013, DOI:10.1021/nn402199g).  Given the versatility of the ferritin particles, this technique could be extended to treat a broad range of cancers with high efficacy of drug delivery and minimal side effects

Recent work done by Marcus Lay and his research group that was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (article) has been highlighted on Phys.org, a leading web-based science, research and technology news service which covers a full range of topics.  The research involved single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and their use as semiconductors.  When grown in bulk, only two-thirds of the SWNTs show semiconducting properties.  The other third s

Two graduate students from the chemistry department, Alexander Sokolov and Tao Liang, have won the 2013 Dissertation Completion Award. They will receive funding from the graduate school this coming academic year in order to complete their dissertations by next summer at the latest.

A new video produced by the American Chemical Society features current research from the lab of assistant professor Tina Salguero.

Several of our professors and students were honored with awards from the Northeast Georgia ACS affiliate this year. Of the eleven people honored, seven were from UGA. Professor Geoffrey Smith was given the George Philbrook Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching, while Professor Gregory Robinson was recognized as the Chemist of the Year for Research.

Atherosclerosis, a buildup of cellular plaque in the arteries, remains one of the leading causes of death globally. While high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the so-called good cholesterol, is transferred to the liver for processing, low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, builds up in the arteries in the form of plaque.

Early detection of cellular components in the plaque that rupture and block arteries have long been held as potentially effective detection for heart diseases and their link to atherosclerosis.

With so much attention focused on the achievements of our professors and their graduate students, it’s easy to forget about the burgeoning undergraduate population that is making a big impact within UGA’s chemistry department. A culture of research has spread through a collection of our undergraduate students, with many having gained recognition for their dogged efforts in the lab.