Principal
Investigator
Michael J. Welch
Wash Univ - Med

Co-Principal Investigator
Karen L. Wooley
Texas A&M

Program Official
Denis B. Buxton
NHLBI

-- PROJECTS --
Project 1
Karen L. Wooley

Project 2
Carolyn L. Cannon

Project 3
Steven L. Brody

Project 4
Pamela K. Woodard

Dev Proj 1
Michael J. Welch

Dev Proj 2
Mikhail Y. Berezin

Core-PROD
Craig J. Hawker

Core-SKILLS
Joseph P. Culver

Seminar, July 14
Omid Farokhzad,MD
Farrell Holden Audit.
2:00- 3:00 p.m.
Omid C. Farokhzad, M.D.


Press Release
New PEN announced

Monthly Meetings
 CSRB Conf Room #4402 at WUSM

PEN Admin Center (ACPEN website)
Click here to learn about the 4 PENs
Inter-PEN website

Welcome to the NHLBI-PEN

Integrated Nanosystems for Diagnosis and Therapy
Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology


Fifth Annual Intra-PEN Meeting in July 2008 at Washington University in Saint Louis. Photo by Eileen A. Cler
Kick-Off Meeting for new PEN Contract
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, Missouri
September 29, 2010
Acute pulmonary infections, acute lung injury, acute vascular injury and atherosclerosis are four of the most prevalent conditions, of immediate NHLBI relevance, that do not have adequate diagnostic or treatment protocols and could benefit significantly from nanotechnological medical devices for noninvasive imaging and selective therapeutic delivery. This PEN integrates a team of multi-disciplinary investigators who will develop unique nanoscale devices to target, image and treat each of these unmet medical needs. Four Projects and two Developmental Projects will be supported by three Cores to develop degradable, organic polymer-based nanomaterials with controlled size, shape, composition and surface chemistry to achieve appropriate
biodistribution and targeting to the sites of disease, controlled surface ligand distribution to optimize molecular recognition of the specific biomarkers for each disease, and controlled release of payload to provide therapeutic benefits. Project 1 optimizes nanomaterials that have shown promise in our ongoing studies under our current Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology, and also explores entirely new nanoscopic platform technologies. Project 2 focuses upon the development of nanomaterials for treatment of infectious lung diseases. Project 3 also investigates nanomaterials in the lung, with an aim to use the nanoscale agents for imaging and regulation of genetic markers of lung injury. Project 4 builds from our significant development of a specific comb-type polymer nanoparticle that has shown a unique ability to target cardiovascular diseases, and will develop those nanomaterials for an investigational new drug (IND) submission. It is also expected, based upon positive preliminary results, that Project 2 work will lead substantially toward an IND. Two Developmental Projects are at an early stage and will be supported for the initial two years, and will then either be absorbed into the Projects, mature into independent Projects, or be phased out. A Nanomaterials Production Core will support the translational work of Project 4, as well as the other Projects requiring scaled-up materials samples, and will evolve from large-scale laboratory production to good manufacturing practices (GMP) production of the nanomaterials that are selected to undergo toxicology studies in years 1-3 and human studies in years 4 and 5. All of these research activities require significant interactions, communication and integration across laboratories and disciplines, for which we rely on an incredibly active Skills Development Core and an innovative and effective Administrative Core. Our team brings together select experts in each of the scientific and clinical disciplines that will be required to advance unique nanotechnologies for their translation to clinical application. We also draw upon cutting-edge laboratory tools, from synthetic chemistry and materials science to nanoscale characterization facilities to state-of-the-art imaging systems, and world-class medical facilities. We span three states and five institutions (Washington University, Texas A&M University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Texas Southwest Medical Branch), with a demonstrated ability to sustain highly productive collaborations among our members, to provide farreaching impact on the research and educational programs across the U.S.