A $1.25 million gift from Pharma Research Products Co., Ltd. will fund pharmaceutical biomaterials research in Professor Young Jik Kwon’s BioTherapeutics Engineering Laboratory (BioTEL) in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UCI.
BioTEL has been exploring innovative methods for efficient and safe delivery of therapeutic molecules such as drugs, nucleic acids, and proteins. With this funding, Kwon hopes to develop novel DNA-based nano-scale biomaterials for the treatment of cancers and degenerative diseases.
“By applying the technologies developed in my laboratory to salmon-derived DNA developed and manufactured by Pharma Research Products, I am confident we will move closer to helping our society live longer, healthier lives,” says Kwon.
“This type of funding and this partnership with corporations transforms already exceptional programs and enables them to become the very best in the world,” adds Christopher Smith, Associate Vice Chancellor of Health Advancement.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Chair Richard Chamberlin thanked Pharma Research Products Chairman Sang Soo Jung at a ceremony on May 1. “We are grateful for this collaboration with Pharma Research Products,” said Chamberlin. “And we thank them for supporting our shared vision to develop innovative solutions to shape a brighter, healthier future.”