PITTSBURGH, Aug. 13,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Duquesne
University has received a new $1.5
million grant that will expand research into
using nanoparticle technology to preserve human limbs for
transplantation surgeries.
The grant awarded to Dr. Jelena M.
Janjic of Duquesne's School
of Pharmacy will create novel preservation strategies for multiple
tissue types, including skin, bone, nerves and blood vessels.
Preserving tissue is essential for successful transplantation, as
several hours can pass before the donor tissue is recovered and
transplanted into the patient.
"The proposed technology is a breakthrough advance beyond
current standard of care options," said Janjic, associate professor
of pharmaceutical sciences at Duquesne and founder and co-director of the
university's Chronic Pain Research Consortium. "New preservation
strategies that prolong tissue viability for more than 24 hours
would allow time to transport tissue across large geographic zones
while also improving patient outcomes."
The award, from the U.S. Department of Defense's Reconstructive
Transplant Research Program and the Congressionally Directed
Medical Research Programs, brings together a multidisciplinary team
representing two academic centers and two industry partners.
As the lead researcher, Dr. Janjic will partner with Dr.
Vijay S. Gorantla, professor of
surgery at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, to
study the efficacy of novel therapies developed in her lab at
Duquesne. Faron Pharmaceuticals, a
Finnish drug discovery company, and BMIOrganbank, a leader in
clinical and research solutions for organ preservation, are
industry collaborators on the project.
"Dr. Janjic's preservation platform will leverage cutting-edge
therapeutics for vascular protection as developed by Faron
Pharmaceuticals, led by CEO Dr. Juho
Jalkanen, and organ preservation technologies led by
BMIOrganBank, led by CEO Carrie
DiMarzio," said Gorantla.
The Duquesne nanotechnology,
the first to be created using pharmaceutical quality by design
standards, uses nanoparticles as oxygen carriers. A key benefit of
the quality by design process is that the nanoparticles can be
manufactured on a large scale, as will be required for clinical
use, Janjic said.
"The use of nanotechnology represents a paradigm shift in tissue
preservation," Janjic said. "It can effectively deliver oxygen,
stabilize the tissue and reduce inflammation, helping to ensure the
tissue is healthy for transplantation, which is critical for
patient and graft outcomes."
Janjic, who created the first inflammatory pain nanomedicine
targeted to immune cells, added that reducing tissue damage could
extend the donor allocation time and distance of transportation,
allowing development of a national matching system for bone marrow
and cord blood transplants.
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SOURCE Duquesne University