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Treatments and medicines today typically have a long list of side-effects. When cancer patients undergo chemotherapy, the cancer cells die but so do all fast growing cells - that’s why the patient will experience effects such as hair loss and nausea. What if we could target a treatment to the specific cells that are sick?
The future of healthcare lies in treating patients based on the unique changes in gene expression associated with their particular disease state. The advancement of personalized medicine depends on the ability to alter abnormal gene expression. While there are current methods that target gene expression, they have a number of flaws that our technique aims to overcome.
PANACEA stands for Promoting A Novel Approach to Cellular (gene) Expression Alteration. We are a diverse senior research team of nine students in the Gemstone Honors Program, all from various different academic backgrounds. Over the last three and a half years we have been working with our mentor, Dr. Jonathan Dinman (chair of the department of cellular biology and molecular genetics) to build on a technique developed by the National Institutes of Health. This method involves developing and testing a protein complex that will help get the therapeutics into the cell to alter the expression of genes. Your donations will enable us to complete the production and testing of this tool, which will move the research one step closer its vast and exciting applications in the treatment of disease.
Gifts in support of the University of Maryland are accepted and managed by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization authorized by the Board of Regents. Contributions to the University of Maryland are tax deductible as allowed by law. Please see your tax advisor for details.
Your contribution will go towards purchasing basic research equipment such as pipette tips and micro centrifuge tubes.
Your contribution will go towards crucial equipment such as cell culture kits.
Your contribution will go towards specialized reagents for different cell lines.
Your contribution will go towards chemicals necessary for quantifying and analyzing data. You will also receive recognition on our poser at the Rustbelt RNA Conference!
Your contribution will go towards purchasing of mammalian cell lines. You will also receive a handwritten note from our team members.
Your contribution will go towards funding our conference. You will also receive a personal invitation to our thesis conference.
Your contribution will go towards funding our conference and reaching ½ of our goal. You will also receive a PANACEA team picture, as well as a hard copy of our final senior thesis at our thesis conference.