UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Five potentially groundbreaking, high-risk projects have been selected to receive seed funding as part of the Huck Innovative and Transformational Seed (HITS) Fund initiative.
“Our HITS seed funding mechanism is designed to challenge even our most innovative faculty to look for opportunities to transform interdisciplinary research,” said Troy Ott, acting director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
Designed to directly support novel, potentially high-impact projects in any area of the life sciences, the HITS Fund serves as a launchpad for innovative ideas. Proposals do not require the preliminary data or existing work often needed to attract immediate conventional or industry support, according to Ott.
“In our journey towards groundbreaking discoveries, we must always remember the critical role that risk plays in fostering innovation,” said Camelia Kantor, associate director for strategic initiatives. “We, at Huck, fund the unproven, the unexplored and the revolutionary — because at the very heart of scientific advancement lies the audacity to imagine, the courage to fail and the resilience to discover.”
The five projects to receive HITS funding are:
"Quasi-primes: A novel method of pathogen detection based on the shortest DNA sequences in each pathogen to halt nosocomially acquired infections"
Led by Ilias Georgakopoulos-Soares, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, the project aims to create a novel pathogen detection method by integrating computational approaches into standard diagnostic procedures.
Researchers said they plan to curate a comprehensive library to serve as the database for an accurate, rapid and universal diagnostic with the ability to identify all hospital infectious agents. Such novel pathogen detection technology would lead to prompt and appropriate patient treatment, according to the researchers, resulting in better patient outcomes and a reduced rate of transmitted infections.
"Viral-induced proteostatic alterations of the muscle-immune nexus"
Researchers Gustavo Nader, professor of kinesiology, and Margherita Cantorna, distinguished professor of molecular immunology, intend to investigate the molecular mechanisms through which viruses cause muscle waste in individuals with chronic viral infections.
Nadar and Cantorna hypothesize that when viruses infect skeletal muscle, they disrupt the host’s protein synthesis machinery — which is necessary for muscle maintenance — by changing infected cells’ internal organelles. They plan to develop novel tools to investigate their working theory, with the goal of reducing rates of muscle waste in those affected.
"Multi-action bioabsorbable alpha emitting seeds for intraoperative low- dose-rate brachytherapy for breast cancer"
Dipanjan Pan, Huck Chair of Nanomedicine, professor of nuclear engineering, materials science and engineering, and director of the Laboratory for Materials in Medicine, is working with Viviana Posada, a postdoctoral researcher in the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering. They plan to integrate fundamentals of physics, chemistry and biology to develop a novel, biodegradable implant material that could be placed into the human body and immediately work to eradicate breast cancer.
The material would emit dual action chemistry and radiation to exterminate tumors before the material itself degrades to nothing. The proposed implant does not use any external chemotherapeutics; instead, it degrades gradually to release hydrogen gas that serves as chemotherapy.
"Delivery and translation of gene drives to combat resistance evolution in cancer"
Led by Justin Pritchard, associate professor of biomedical engineering, this research centers on using genetic engineering techniques to address drug-resistant lung cancer tumors.
Researchers aim to introduce manipulated “suicide genes” into genetically engineered tumor cells. These engineered cells will be designed to activate and initiate a self-destruct protocol once they spread throughout the tumor.
"Bridging the knowledge gap on human mammary insufficiency lipid metabolism and vitamin D as predictors of breastfeeding outcomes"
Researchers led by Rachel Walker, postdoctoral scholar in the College of Health and Human Development, are proposing vitamin D supplements to mothers in resource-poor environments to enhance breast milk quality. The goal is to reduce both infant and maternal infection and mortality rates by directly addressing nutritional deficiency.
“The ideas presented in these proposals represent the essence of sharpness that precedes the cutting edge," Ott said. "And, as such, they create excitement and inspire all of us.”
Visit the Huck website for expanded summaries on the HITS Fund projects.