{"id":37504,"date":"2025-07-04T07:41:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T07:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/37504\/"},"modified":"2025-07-04T07:41:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T07:41:09","slug":"synthetic-dna-nanoparticles-for-gene-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/37504\/","title":{"rendered":"Synthetic DNA Nanoparticles for Gene Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newswise \u2014 CLEVELAND\u2014Case Western Reserve University chemist Divita Mathur<\/a> was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grant for her research in synthetic DNA nanoparticles, which have potential applications in gene therapy.<\/p>\n

The grant will support Mathur\u2019s work in synthesizing nanoparticles and studying how they behave inside cells in a laboratory. She will use single-cell injections and a microscope to track the nanoparticles and watch what happens to them over time inside individual cells.<\/p>\n

The CAREER award is considered the agency\u2019s most prestigious grant <\/a>to junior faculty members \u201cwho have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.\u201d Mathur, assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, is among three CWRU faculty members<\/a> awarded CAREER grants this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis groundbreaking work is a great example of fundamental science that could lead to new life-saving treatments,\u201d said David Gerdes, dean of the college. \u201cThe CAREER award shows that she is a rising star, not only on our campus, but also in our national scientific\u00a0community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mathur\u2019s DNA nanoparticles are highly programmable and could be designed to encode a gene that replaces a missing or malfunctioning gene, instructing a cell to produce a needed protein or correct a genetic error.<\/p>\n

In many genetic diseases, scientists know the gene that needs to be corrected, Mathur said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is the delivery,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to deliver things to the liver, so liver-based therapies are in clinical trials. Converting this to another area of the body is difficult, which is one of the things that motivates us to pursue this research.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mathur said that eventually these DNA nanoparticles could also be designed with an attachment that functions like a barcode on an envelope, sending it to a particular address, or in this case, targeting a particular kind of cell.<\/p>\n

The CAREER Award grant allows Mathur to delve into the basic question of how these manufactured DNA structures behave once they get inside a cell. To study that, she will attach a molecule to the DNA that fluoresces so the particles can be observed by microscope inside a living cell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know how these nanoparticles act when they are inside the cell; how they interact with the proteins that are inside,\u201d Mathur said. \u201cWe have to understand that fundamentally before we can imagine how to design therapeutics.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CAREER award also provides funding for Mathur to engage high school students in summertime chemistry research projects and for building mixed-reality, three-dimensional models of chemical and biochemical molecules.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to show students how molecules are three-dimensional, how they occupy space and how they have a specific orientation in space, like right or left-handedness,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Mathur received the university\u2019s John S. Dieckhoff Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring<\/a>. One of the undergraduates working in her lab, Sara Desai, received the prestigious Barry Goldwater scholarship<\/a>, a highly competitive national scholarship that provides tuition assistance for students who intend to pursue research careers in science, mathematics or engineering.<\/p>\n

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At Case Western Reserve, one of the nation’s leading research universities, we’re driven to seek knowledge and find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. Nearly 6,200 undergraduate and 6,100 graduate students from across 96 countries study in our more than 250 degree programs across arts, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing, science and social work. Our location in Cleveland, Ohio\u2014a hub of cultural, business and healthcare activity\u2014gives students unparalleled access to engaging academic, research, clinical, entrepreneurial and volunteer opportunities and prepares them to join our network of 125,000+ alumni making an impact worldwide. Visit\u00a0<\/strong>case.edu<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to learn more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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