{"340631":{"#nid":"340631","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Meredith\u0027s research earns grant from Gates Foundation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJ. Carson Meredith, professor and associate chair for graduate studies in the School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering, has been awarded a Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) grant from the Bill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeredith will pursue an innovative global health and development research project titled \u201cPollen-Based Assays of Intestinal Mucus Water Content and Rheology.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGrand Challenges Explorations funds individuals worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mold in how persistent global health and development challenges are solved. Meredith\u2019s project is one of more than 60 GCE grants announced today.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeredith\u2019s work will focus on developing a rapid and low-cost diagnostic for childhood enteric diseases, such as diarrhea. These diseases are a worldwide problem and a leading cause of childhood mortality. Because children\u2019s intestinal tracts are very different from those of adults, it is difficult for researchers to predict how their intestinal mucus layer will behave under stress. That mucus layer is critical to absorbing nutrients. If it\u2019s damaged by disease, it won\u2019t function as well, and endemic gastrointestinal diseases can result.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeredith has proposed a novel, low-cost method to test the health of the mucus lining in children by using both natural and synthetic pollen particles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNature provides great sources of complex microparticles that can be adapted for engineering applications,\u201d Meredith said. \u201cPollen grains are covered with unique nanoscale spines that I believe will make them excellent but inexpensive sensors of mucus function.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPollen is sticky and edible, can survive in harsh environments and has a variety of spiny appendages, sizes and shapes. The first step of Meredith\u2019s work will be to characterize how fast different synthetic pollen shells travel through viscous liquids that simulate what\u2019s inside the gut. This part of the work will involve collaboration with Victor Breedveld, also a ChBE faculty member.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGrand Challenges Explorations is a $100 million initiative funded by the Bill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation since 2008. More than 1,070 projects in more than 60 countries have received GCE grants, and the program is open to all disciplines and organizations. The foundation is accepting applications for the current GCE round until Nov. 12. For more information about Grand Challenges Explorations, go to \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gcgh.grandchallenges.org\/Explorations\/Pages\/Introduction.aspx\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/gcgh.grandchallenges.org\/Explorations\/Pages\/Introduction.aspx\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPhoto captions:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPHOTO 1:\u003C\/strong\u003E J. Carson Meredith has received a Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation. Photo by Jenna Leigh Studios.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPHOTO 2:\u003C\/strong\u003E Meredith\u2019s work will focus on developing a rapid and low-cost diagnostic for childhood enteric diseases, such as diarrhea. Meredith has proposed a novel, low-cost method to test the health of the mucus lining in children by using both synthetic and natural pollen particles, such as sunflower pollen, seen here in an electron microscope image. Photo by Haisheng Lin.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EStory by Brett Israel. Courtesy of Research News at Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"J. Carson Meredith, a professor in the School of Chemical \u0026 Biomolecular Engineering, has been awarded a Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill \u0026 Melinda Gates Foundation."}],"uid":"28045","created_gmt":"2014-11-04 15:45:17","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:23","author":"Amy Schneider","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-11-04T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-11-04T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"340531":{"id":"340531","type":"image","title":"J. Carson Meredith","body":null,"created":"1449245585","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:13:05","changed":"1475895055","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:55","alt":"J. Carson Meredith","file":{"fid":"201917","name":"meredith_image.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/meredith_image_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/meredith_image_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1867220,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/meredith_image_0.jpg?itok=dQ5ZffD6"}},"340591":{"id":"340591","type":"image","title":"Sunflower pollen","body":null,"created":"1449245585","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:13:05","changed":"1475895057","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:57","alt":"Sunflower pollen","file":{"fid":"200691","name":"sunflower_pollen_blue_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sunflower_pollen_blue_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sunflower_pollen_blue_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":894372,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/sunflower_pollen_blue_0_0.jpg?itok=dtebBWSI"}}},"media_ids":["340531","340591"],"groups":[{"id":"1240","name":"School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAmy Schneider\u003Cbr \/\u003ESchool of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E(404) 385-2299\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:news@chbe.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Enews@chbe.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}