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$3.8 MILLION IN NIH FUNDING BOLSTERS UTEP’s CANCER RESEARCH

Dr. Taslim Al-Hilal
Assistant Professor
Pharmaceutical Sciences

CANCER
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Amount Awarded: $3.8M
Award Start Date: Aug. 01, 2022
Award End Date: Jul. 31, 2023

Researchers at The Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Texas at El Paso’s School of Pharmacy are leading efforts to reduce mortality rates in lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancer with $3.8 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Click HERE to learn more.

R21: THE ROLE OF TUMOR ENDOTHELIUM-SPECIFIC PRION-LIKE PROTEIN DOPPEL (PRND) GENE IN EPITHELIAL OVARIAN

Dr. Taslim Al-Hilal
Assistant Professor
Pharmaceutical Sciences

CANCER
NIH - NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

Amount Awarded: $403,018
Award Start Date: Sep. 01, 2022
Award End Date: Aug. 31, 2024

This research investigates determines whether a highly conserved membrane-associated prion-like protein doppeldrives ovarian cancer progression.

PRIMING PANCREATIC DUCTAL ADENOCARCINOMA USING BLOOD THINNERS TO SENSITIZE THE EFFICACY OF CHECKPOINT IMMUNOTHERAPY

Dr. Taslim Al-Hilal
Assistant Professor
Pharmaceutical Sciences

CANCER
NIH - NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

Amount Awarded: $1,507,750
Award Start Date: Jul. 05, 2022
Award End Date: May 31, 2026

Pancreatic cancers tend to develop small clots, called intratumoral clots, within their vascular network and interstitial milieu. This project will determine the effect of intratumoral fibrin clots on tumor microenvironment and immunity, and whether the use of blood thinners enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy in different subtypes of pancreatic cancer.

R01: TARGETING OF DOPPEL-AXIS TO CONTROL LUNG TUMOR ANGIOGENESIS AND IMMUNITY

Dr. Taslim Al-Hilal
Assistant Professor
Pharmaceutical Sciences

CANCER
NIH - NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

Amount Awarded: $1,745,584
Award Start Date: Aug. 01, 2022
Award End Date: Jul. 31, 2027

This research explores whether the protein, doppel, arrests growth of blood vessels in tumors, thus, eliminating tumor growth and reducing off-tumor effects.

SUPPRESSOR OF CYTOKINE SIGNALING AS A CRUCIAL REGULATOR FOR RESISTANT UVEAL MELANOMA RESPONSE TO IMMUNOTHERAPY

Dr. Yong Qin
Assistant Professor
Pharmaceutical Sciences

NIH - NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

Amount Awarded: $614,000
Award Start Date: Sep. 01, 2022
Award End Date: Aug. 31, 2027

This research investigates the role of cytokine signaling 1 as an immunotherapy in immune-resistant uveal melanoma tumors.

HEALTH COMMUNICATION AND RISK PERCEPTION (HCRP) LABORATORY

Dr. Gabriel Frietze
Assistant Professor
Pharmaceutical Sciences

The School of Pharmacy (SOP) would like to introduce one the latest research laboratories at UTEP. The Health Communication and Risk Perception (HCRP) Lab, led by Dr. Gabriel Frietze (Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences), has several ongoing projects in the areas of Hispanic health disparities, infectious diseases, and vaccine acceptance. Take a moment to check out the ongoing research in Dr. Frietze’s lab. Additional information about Dr. Frietze’s reseach may be found HERE.

Collaborative Awards Across Colleges

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RACIAL EQUITY: MEASURING THE SOCIAL NETWORKS AND COMMUNITY CULTURAL WEALTH OF LATINA/O STEM UNDERGRADUATES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM LSAMP

, Dr. Denise Yates, and Dr. Jessica Shenberger-Trujillo

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Amount Awarded: $259,739
Award Start Date: Sep. 01, 2022
Award End Date: Aug. 31, 2026

In collaboration with the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Wisconsin-Madison, this research investigates social networks, community cultural wealth, and undergraduate research experiences of Latina/o STEM students in the UT System LSAMP campuses.

LSAMP BRIDGE-TO-THE-DOCTORATE PROGRAM

, , , Dr. Denise Yates, and Dr. Jessica Shenberger-Trujillo

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
LSAMP

Amount Awarded: $1,075,000
Award Start Date: Sep. 01, 2022
Award End Date: Aug. 31, 2024

This project provides a pathway and support system to increase the number of historically underrepresented students who complete doctoral degrees in STEM programs.

TWO PHOTON POLYMERIZATION 3D NANOFABRICATION SYSTEM FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS INCLUDING ENERGY STORAGE, PHOTONICS, SENSORS, AND BIOMEDICAL STRUCTURES

Dr. Robert Roberts, Dr. Eric MacDonald, Dr. Md Nurunnabi, Dr. David Roberson, Dr. Raymond Rumpf, Dr. Sreeprasad Sreenivasan, Dr. David Zubia, Dr. Carlos Cabrera Martinez, Dr. Ben Flores, Dr. Alexis Maurel, and Dr. Ana C. Martinez

ARMY RESEARCH OFFICE
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Amount Awarded: $576,549
Award Start Date: Aug. 01, 2022
Award End Date: Jul. 31, 2023

This grant enables acquisition of a two-photon polymerization 3D printer to enable nanoscale manufacturing that can expand innovative interdisciplinary research, enhance student training, and better address DoD research and needs for the upcoming decade.

Student Events

Pharmacy Week

• We all took a moment to either pick a note, or write one ourselves, thanking or leaving words of encouragement to students, faculty, and staff. (Activity led by the Faculty Excellence Team and Student Excellence Team)
• Students received stress balls in time for midterms. (Activity led by the Student Excellence Team)
• Students vs. Faculty/Staff, Students WON!!! (Activity led by APHA-ASP, SSHP, and SNPhA)
• Remembering a pharmacy giant! (Activity led by the Dean’s Office)
• In celebration of DEIA. (Activity led by the Student Excellence Team and Dean’s Office)