Enhancing Nonviral Gene Therapy

Most gene therapies, a long-sought method for treating numerous medical conditions, have yet to achieve both safety and effectiveness. Nebraska biomedical engineer Angela Pannier’s novel research is finding ways to overcome the technique’s significant hurdles.

For her achievements, Pannier received a 2017 National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award, an honor that supports exceptionally creative early-career researchers with the potential to transform their fields. She’s the university’s first researcher to earn this prestigious award.

Gene therapy introduces genetic material into patients’ cells, often via viruses, to treat disease. Pannier, professor of biological systems engineering, researches ways to promote gene uptake using safer, nonviral methods.

She’s already had success, discovering that a common steroid drug markedly improved nonviral gene uptake. The five-year, nearly $2.2 million NIH award allows her to ramp up her search for other beneficial drugs.

Pannier’s team and Nebraska collaborator Tadeusz Wysocki, professor of electrical and computer engineering, are working to understand the biological mechanisms of gene delivery through mathematical modeling to further improve delivery strategies for gene therapy.

“We’ll be able to understand the system on a much bigger scale and move forward into applications,” Pannier said.

+ Additional content for Enhancing Nonviral Gene Therapy

Pannier earns prestigious NIH director's new innovator award