{"469461":{"#nid":"469461","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NIH Grant Supporting Petit Institute Researcher\u2019s Design of Novel Nanomedicine","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EMedulloblastoma (MB) is a big and potentially terrifying word given to a fast-growing, malignant brain tumor that attacks the cerebellum. It accounts for just 1-2 percent of all primary brain tumors, but it is the most common malignant brain tumor in children under 10.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ELike most brain tumors, the typical treatment for MB involves surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy. While the survival rate for children is 60 to 80 percent (depending on the child\u2019s age when diagnosed), the conventional treatment can lead to side effects, including neurocognitive deficits that diminish quality of life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ETo address this challenge, a Georgia Institute of Technology researcher, YongTae Kim, is working to give kids a powerful new vehicle for successful drug treatment, without the side effects, and he recently received an R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the early stages of his project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EKim, a faculty member of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering, is developing nanocarriers that are capable of getting past the brain\u2019s stubborn natural defense system to deliver potent therapeutic payloads to specific targets.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cFor any disease in the brain, it\u2019s difficult to deliver drugs because we have the blood-brain barrier, or BBB, and it has limited permeability,\u201d says Kim, assistant professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, whose lab is headquartered in the Marcus Nanotechnology Building. \u201cThe goal of this study is to use our microfluidic technology to develop nanocarriers for targeted delivery of drugs to brain tumors.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EKim also is employing his cutting-edge microfluidic technology to engineer nanocarriers that allow for targeted delivery of drugs to treat atherosclerosis (a project for which he was awarded Scientist Development Grant from the American Heart Association). But the R21 project will require different nanocarriers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EBasically, the BBB is like a very choosy doorman, allowing only limited admission to our gray matter, turning back everything else, including good medicine. \u201cHumans are well designed,\u201d says Kim. \u201cDifferent vasculature in the brain. We need to design unique nanocarriers to cross this barrier.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EFor this project, Kim is collaborating with Tobey MacDonald, associate professor in the department of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and director of pediatric neuro-oncology for the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThe NIH R21 is an exploratory\/developmental grant mechanism that will contribute $423,000 to Kim\u2019s project over two years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cIf we are successful with this idea,\u201d says Kim, \u201cit could have a huge impact in the field.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/node\/jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E- Jerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Institute of Technology researcher, YongTae Kim, is working to give kids a powerful new vehicle for successful drug treatment for Medulloblastoma."}],"uid":"27863","created_gmt":"2015-11-12 14:44:32","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:58","author":"Christa Ernst","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-11-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2015-11-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"443831":{"id":"443831","type":"image","title":"Tony Kim","body":null,"created":"1449256205","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:10:05","changed":"1475895182","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:02","alt":"Tony Kim","file":{"fid":"203138","name":"dsc_0175.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0175_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0175_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1025349,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dsc_0175_0.jpg?itok=E32m8mks"}}},"media_ids":["443831"],"groups":[{"id":"197261","name":"Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"28531","name":"Brain Cancer Therapy"},{"id":"12701","name":"Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"2194","name":"nanomedicine"},{"id":"141801","name":"pediatric medicine"},{"id":"84251","name":"YongTae \u201cTony\u201d Kim"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECONTACT:\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/node\/jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E Communications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E Parker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}