Campbell University has been awarded a $200,000 Institutional Development Grant (IDG) from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for the proposal entitled, “EMXPlus EPR Free Radical Research Facility.”
The EMXplus Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectrometer to be purchased with this grant will be used to investigate the presence of free radical species in relation to their role as mediators of inflammatory/oxidative stress-associated with human disease processes. Inflammatory and oxidative stress have been determined to be two of the major underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of various human diseases including cardiovascular disorders, cancer, respiratory diseases, diabetes, neurodegeneration, and chronic pain disorders.
Dr. Yunbo Li, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Assistant Dean for Biomedical Research at Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine, and adjunct professor of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, submitted the application for this funding because of the positive impact it will have on research for all of the health sciences at Campbell.
Investigators include faculty from the school of medicine and college of pharmacy and health sciences at Campbell as well as collaborators from fellow institutions. “This is another excellent example of the interprofessional collaborative efforts we are involved in here at Campbell,” shared Dr. Li.
Investigators from the school of medicine at Campbell: Dr. Oleg Alekseev, associate professor of anatomy; Dr. Igo Danelisen, Assistant Dean for Faculty, chair and associate professor of cell biology and pathophysiology; Dr. William Morris, professor and Co-Chair of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine; and Dr. Hong Zhu, associate professor of physiology. Investigators from the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Campbell: Dr. A. Al-Achi, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Dr. Sarah Liu, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Dr. Doug Powell, Assistant Professor of Health Professional Studies. Consultants and collaborators from other universities: UNC-Greensboro, Dr. Alice Haddy and Dr. Zhenquan Jia; Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dr. Periannan Kuppusamy, professor of radiology and medicine; and Virginia Tech, Dr. Hara P. Misra. Additional support leading to the success of the application was provided by Dr. Emanuel Diliberto, Chair of the Pharmaceutical Sciences at Campbell; Dr. Daniel Shin, director of pharmaceutical sciences programs at Campbell, and Mr. Paul Johnson, technical expert from the Pharmaceutical Education and Research Center at Campbell.
“This new EPR system will add exciting new capabilities to research at Campbell University including direct detection of free radicals and paramagnetic species in biomedical research. As someone who worked with Dr. Li on his first EPR measurements more than 25 years ago at Johns Hopkins University, I am very proud that he will have a dedicated system for research at Campbell,” shared world renowned expert in free radical biology and medicine and pioneer of in vivo EPR imaging, Periannan Kuppusamy PhD, MD (h.c.), DLitt, Professor of Radiology and Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Medical School Announces Receipt of a $200,000 Grant from the North Carolina Biotech Center