Federal Grant of $7.5 Million Allotted to University Research Center for Influencing the Evolution of Pharmaceutical Innovation
The University of Rochester is set to establish the Translational Center for Barrier Microphysiological Systems (TraCe-bMPS) with a $7.5 million National Institutes of Health grant. This new centre, affiliated with the biomedical engineering department, will be housed on the university's campus and will be a key player in the development of sophisticated new tools for drug development.
At the helm of the TraCe-bMPS centre is Joan Adamo, the director of the Office of Regulatory Support at the CTSI, who will serve as the associate director for qualification. Hani Awad, the Donald and Mary Clark Distinguished Professor in Orthopaedics, will take on the role of associate director for development. Meanwhile, James McGrath, a Wilmot Cancer Institute investigator and the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biomedical Engineering, is leading a University of Rochester team in creating drug development tools without animal testing.
The TraCe-bMPS project is a partnership between the University of Rochester and Duke University, and includes co-investigators and partners from the UR Medical Center, the UR Clinical & Translational Science Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, and industry. Other key partners from the UR Medical Center are involved in the TraCe-bMPS project.
The focus of the TraCe-bMPS team is on tissue-on-a-chip technology. These chips, which involve using small chips with ultrathin membranes of human cells, are often designed to mimic human diseases. This technology is crucial for understanding and simulating biological processes at the tissue and organ level, often using microfluidic devices that mimic the complex interactions within the human body.
Benjamin Miller, PhD, a Dean's Professor of Dermatology, is the associate director for resources at the TraCe-bMPS centre. McGrath, the project's chip pioneer, has been instrumental in the development of these chips, which offer a promising alternative to animal testing in drug development. The TraCe-bMPS team is confident that these tools will lead to more effective and efficient drug development, ultimately benefiting patients and the scientific community.
For more detailed information about the TraCe-bMPS project, you can read the full story here. This project marks an exciting step forward in the field of biomedical engineering and drug development, and the University of Rochester is proud to be at the forefront of this innovation.
- The Translational Center for Barrier Microphysiological Systems (TraCe-bMPS) at the University of Rochester, focused on tissue-on-a-chip technology for understanding medical-conditions, is leveraging science, health-and-wellness, and technology to create drug development tools, aiming for more effective and efficient solutions in the medical field.
- The collaboration between the University of Rochester and Duke University, including co-investigators and partners from the UR Medical Center, the UR Clinical & Translational Science Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, and industry, is working diligently on the TraCe-bMPS project, utilizing technology to simulate complex human biological processes, ultimately benefiting patients and the scientific community.
