A biodegradable engineer at the University of Texas at Arlington is leading an effort to create biodegradable nanoparticles that can capture images and administer drugs to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
Kytai Nguyen. Image credit: University of Texas Arlington.
The principal investigator of the $ 2.1 million four-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is Kytai Nguyen, a professor of bioengineering at UT Arlington. Nguyen works alongside Ralph Mason, a professor of radiology at UT Southwestern, and Jian Yang, a professor of bioengineering at Penn State University and a former UTA faculty member.
What is important in this project is that the technology has fluorescent and ultrasound imaging capabilities, which will provide patients and doctors with more detailed information. It also offers patients more targeted medications, making them more efficient.
Kytai Nguyen, principal investigator of the study and professor of bioengineering, University of Texas Arlington
PAD, also known as atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, is a common condition in the elderly. More than 200 million individuals are affected worldwide, and there are significant rates of disease and mortality.
The goal of the project is to create new biodegradable nanoparticles that can deliver therapeutic compounds that accurately protect stress cells, promote blood vessel growth in hypoxic environments, and enable non-invasive multimodal imaging techniques.
The use of these new nanoparticle platforms to deliver therapies locally, treat the disease efficiently, and control non-invasive therapy through imaging is a result of the research. According to Nguyen, the main goal is to lessen the problems and improve the quality of life of people with PAD.
Nguyen’s pioneering work has the potential to significantly benefit patients living with PAD, according to Michael Cho, president of UT Arlington’s Department of Bioengineering.
This cutting-edge technology has the opportunity to change our protocols on how to treat atherosclerosis. When you can target localized lesions for much better treatment for patients and much less invasive than current treatment.
Michael Cho, president of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Texas Arlington
Since joining UT Arlington in 2005, Nguyen has received funding from the Texas Institute for Cancer Prevention and Research on three occasions: in 2010, 2016 and 2021. Nguyen has also received support from the American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health and National Science. Foundation, and U.S. Departments of Education and Defense, among others.
Nguyen is a member of the Society of Biomedical Engineering, a member of the UTA Academy of Distinguished Scholars, a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors, a member of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and a member of the American Heart Association. .
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