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School Nurses Positioned to Help Solve School Shooting Epidemic
Since 2018 school nurses have responded to 38 school shootings, and they find themselves on the front line of gun violence, whether the act is by an active shooter in a school, a mass shooting in the community or anywhere in the country. "The epidemic of gun violence is a public health crisis affecting the whole country, but school nurses are ideally positioned to work alongside others who are committed to public health approaches to solve the issue of mass shootings," says Sunny G. Hallowell, PhD, assistant professor at Villanova University's M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. Every school day, 95,000 school nurses enter U.S. schools prepared and ready to serve more than 55 million children for six and a half hours, 180 days a year. Families, school districts and communities entrust their children to school environments with the expectation that they will be kept safe from harm. School nurses are first responders whose skills are crucial to ensuring the health and safety of students, staff and faculty within schools and the surrounding community. Hallowell is coauthor of "School Nurses Share their Voices, Trauma and Solutions by Sounding the Alarm on Gun Violence," published recently in the medical journal Current Trauma Reports. She and her coauthors shed light on the impact of gun violence within schools from the perspective of school nurses, whose expertise is critical to the design and implementation of programs that keep students safe. "Nurses are trained both in the emergency trauma care and clinical responses necessary for addressing traumatic gun violence, as well as the mental health outcomes resulting from tragedy," says Hallowell. "There is a critical need for research that guides the selection of evidence-based safety programs that consider the developmental and the mental health needs of school communities." Standard response protocols such as school safety drills, fire drills and tornado, hurricane and earthquake drills have been implemented as early as the First World War. The memory of air raid drills and the lingering effect of the experiences have been well documented. As Hallowell's journal article shows, fear has long dictated how schools invest their resources in response to gun violence.
Climate Change: A Direct Threat to Older Adults
Climate change will impact the health of all populations, but older adults are uniquely vulnerable because of the physiological changes of aging. More than half of older adults in the United States live in areas that disproportionately experience the effects of heat waves, forest fires, hurricanes and coastal flooding. Pennsylvania, New York, California, Florida and Texas account for the top five states where older adults are concentrated. Older adults who live in urban areas are vulnerable to heat island effect—the concentration and retention of heat in urban areas compared to rural areas—which places older residents in cities at increased risk of heat related illnesses and death. “Gerontological nurses need to be prepared to address the specific issues of older adults,” says Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, director of the Center for Global Health at Villanova University’s M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. “We want to help nurses understand climate change and the need for specific interventions to support climate adaptation for the older adult population.” Climate change impacts require modifications in health plans for older adults. Prolonged heat will require greater needs for hydration, but the patient’s other conditions need to be considered as well. Elders with heart disease and renal failure will require astute nursing assessments to monitor the balance of hydration and electrolytes while not leading to fluid overload or electrolyte imbalances in the presence of extreme heat. With their research, practice and influence over policy, gerontological nurses are in an important position to be changemakers by measuring and documenting the harm and impact of climate change on older adults. They can advocate for measures that support older adults in disasters or extreme weather events. Nurse researchers can collaborate with climate scientists and policy makers to develop initiatives and programs that rely on climate and health evidence to support climate mitigation and adaptation for the older adult. “It is everyone’s responsibility to learn about climate change and to participate in slowing the trajectory of climate change,” Dr. McDermott-Levy says.
A Lego-Like Approach to Improve Nature’s Own Ability to Kill Dangerous Bacteria
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers antibiotic resistance one of the most urgent public health threats, one that affects communities worldwide. The ramifications of bacteria’s ability to become resistant to antibiotics can be seen in hospitals, public places, our food supply, and our water. In their search for solutions, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been looking to nature. In a paper recently published in Biomacromolecules, the team demonstrated how it could improve upon the ability of nature’s exquisitely selective collection of antimicrobial enzymes to attack bacteria in a way that’s much less likely to cause bacterial resistance. “The idea is that we could take nature’s approach and just make it better,” said Jonathan Dordick, a chaired professor of chemical and biological engineering and a member of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS). In order for bacteria to grow and live, they naturally produce autolysin enzymes that can break down their own cell walls, allowing those cells to divide and multiply. In attacking one another, bacteria take advantage of a similar process, using an antibacterial protein known as a bacteriocin to kill a bacterium. Bacteria can also be attacked by bacteriophages, which are viruses that infect bacteria. They produce phage endolysin enzymes, which attack the bacterial cell from the inside. All three types of enzymes are broadly known as cell lytic enzymes, as they catalyze the breakdown of the bacterial cell wall. “It’s very difficult for bacteria to become resistant to the action of these enzymes,” Dordick said. “For example, if they became resistant to an autolysin, they wouldn’t divide.” Like building blocks, most cell lytic enzymes are modular. They’re made up of one binding domain which attaches to the cell wall, and a catalytic domain that breaks holes in the cell wall — effectively destroying the targeted bacteria. “The idea was: Could we use a Lego-like approach here? Could we take a binding domain from one enzyme and can we mix it with a binding domain or catalytic domain of another one?” Dordick said. The issue of antibiotic resistant bacteria and disease is a serious one and of great concern to the medical community. If you’re a journalist covering this topic or are looking to know more about the ongoing research into this field – let our experts help. Jonathan S. Dordick is the Howard P. Isermann Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he is also the Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Initiatives. Dr. Dordick is available to speak with media regarding this topic - simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
Baylor Study: What Does It Take to Be an ‘Ideal Daughter?’
Researchers say new study gives voice to daughters and value to their role in the family WACO, Texas (Nov. 11, 2019) – The roles of daughters in the family structure and in society are difficult to define and they’re rarely understood – even by daughters themselves – said Allison Alford, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of business communication in Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. Alford, who served as an editor on the book “Constructing Motherhood and Daughterhood Across the Lifespan,” is the lead author on a new study, “Role Expectations and Role Evaluations in Daughtering: Constructing the Good Daughter,” published in the latest edition of the Journal of Family Communication. “Our research has found that ‘daughtering’ is invisible work that is not often credited, and it’s as unique as the individual women who are doing the work,” Alford said. “This study and subsequent conversations hopefully will bring to light the idea of daughtering. And as more people hear about it and learn about it, then we’ll start to give credit to it and notice it in our own lives.” The study centers on mother-daughter relationships, specifically, and looks at how daughters perceive and define their roles in that relationship. Researchers interviewed 33 women, ages 25-45, who have living mothers under the age of 70. Those age ranges were chosen in order to capture a time period for mothers and daughters with the greatest likelihood that neither individual was the caregiver of the other and both were in relatively good health, the researchers wrote. Expectations of the “Ideal Daughter” Alford said analysis of the interviews with the daughters revealed four themes or role expectations for an “ideal daughter” in relation to her mother: Showing respect Providing protection Eliciting mothering Making time for connection Each of those efforts requires work, and that work often goes unnoticed or is undervalued – even by daughters themselves, Alford said. The study noted that many of the women who were interviewed initially – almost naturally – anticipated talking about their mothers instead of themselves. “When asked to think about themselves as daughters and their communication in the relationship, many found themselves doing so for the very first time,” the researchers wrote. “These women noted that putting the emphasis on themselves and describing their role as adult daughters felt strange or awkward in its newness.” Showing Respect Respect, the study showed, was the most common topic addressed by the daughters. Based on the interviews, a daughter’s respect for her mother could be demonstrated by avoiding conflict, silencing one’s disagreement with her mother, reacting positively to her mother’s messages and supporting her mother’s power position. “Daughters demonstrated respect by adapting their communication to affirm their mothers’ competence or otherwise avoid offending and disregarding them,” the researchers wrote. One woman, identified as Kelsey in the study, said she listens to her mother talk about things she dislikes and sometimes apologizes to her mother even when she doesn’t feel apologetic. “I would never say, ‘Mom, I don’t want to hear it,’ because I would never say that to my mom. Ever. I would listen to her … I would listen to her tell me things I don’t wanna hear all day long, and never tell her,” Kelsey said. Providing Protection A number of the adult daughters interviewed felt there was an expectation that they would actively protect their mothers. This could be a daughter protecting her mother’s wellbeing, protecting her mother from being taken advantage of, or protecting her from the disrespectful actions of others, including siblings. One woman, Sabine, described a time when she had to stand up to her brother because she felt he was taking advantage of their mother’s goodwill. In addition, she said she had to “get after” her mother for not employing boundaries with the brother. The examples in the study illustrated that many daughters were happy to be champions for their mothers, but some noted that it was difficult to be protectors. Eliciting Mothering A number of the daughters who were interviewed said they struggle a bit with their roles as adults – or even as mothers themselves – who still need to engage with their mothers and ask for assistance. Many said they still seek interaction and approval from their mothers as a sense of pride. “When a daughter calls upon her mother for guidance or activates a need for an emotional evaluation such as pride, she is fulfilling her role expectations,” the researchers wrote. One woman, Lottie, said of her mother: “She compliments me as a mother. I think I feel like a good daughter when I feel like I am making her proud and she lets me know that she is proud of me … and I guess that makes me feel like a good daughter.” Connection In their descriptions of “good daughters,” a number of the daughters interviewed said it was important to set aside time to connect with their mothers. This, the study showed, could be anything from talking on the phone, meeting face to face, taking grandchildren to visit or even moving to a home nearby. Sometimes the expectations are stated outright by the mothers, but that’s not always the case, the researchers explained. Changing the Language Alford said her research has shown that the “language” of daughtering is almost nonexistent in social discourse as well as in scholarly or popular works. For example, she said, a daughter who is caring or supportive is often described as being “motherly.” “That’s an example of giving credit to mothers as being the only people who care for others, versus saying that the daughter is a caring person or that she’s supportive,” Alford said. “We want to think of daughtering as its own form of work and responsibility and put a value on that, so we can see the value that we’re putting into our family relationships and family systems.” One desired outcome of research into this area, Alford said, is that daughters will be given a voice and their valuable work within the family will be acknowledged. “The work that daughters do is important and valuable and the more that we talk about it and bring it to light, the more that we will understand what daughters can bring to the relationship and improve the mother-daughter relationship,” she said. ABOUT THE STUDY The study, “Role Expectations and Role Evaluations in Daughtering: Constructing the Good Daughter,” is published in the Journal of Family Communication. Authors are Allison Alford, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of business communication in Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business; and Meredith Marko Harrigan, Ph.D., professor of communication at SUNY Geneseo. ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. ABOUT HANKAMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY At Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, integrity stands shoulder-to-shoulder with analytic and strategic strengths. The School’s top-ranked programs combine rigorous classroom learning, hands-on experience in the real world, a solid foundation in Christian values and a global outlook. Making up approximately 25 percent of the University’s total enrollment, undergraduate students choose from 16 major areas of study. Graduate students choose from full-time, executive or online MBA or other specialized master’s programs, and Ph.D. programs in Information Systems, Entrepreneurship or Health Services Research. The Business School also has campuses located in Austin and Dallas, Texas. Visit www.baylor.edu/business and follow on Twitter at twitter.com/Baylor_Business.
Why are the wolves of Wall Street so worried about Elizabeth Warren?
Elizabeth Warren started her campaign for the presidency far from being the front-runner. She trailed the likes of Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders dramatically, often in third place or worse and usually in single digits. But her resolve stood, she provided plans and policy planks. And … she found a target and took aim at the wealthy. All of her ideas that include costly policies about health care and education come with billion- and even trillion-dollar price tags. Usually these concepts are laughed off the debate stage – but Warren carefully and strategically costed them out. And those covering the costs of her ideas are the banks along with the rich and wealthy. Her ideas caught fire with supporters and now Warren is seen as a legitimate contender for the White House. It has some nervous and many taking notice. It’s a role that Ms. Warren unabashedly embraces, as an increasing number of voters, as well as a few veterans of the finance industry, see her as the policymaker who can address the growing wealth gap in the United States and take on the corruption and excess in the business world. Ms. Warren has made battling corporate greed and corruption a central theme of her fiercely populist campaign, mixing anti-elitist oratory with policy plans calling for sweeping new regulations. On Friday morning she released an ambitious proposal to pay for her “Medicare for all” program, with provisions directly affecting Wall Street: aggressive new taxes on billionaires, an additional tax on financial transactions like stock trades and annual investment gains taxes for the wealthiest households. Just hours later she told an audience in Iowa: “Our democracy has been hijacked by the rich and the powerful.” Interviews with more than two dozen hedge-fund managers, private-equity and bank officials, analysts and lobbyists made clear that Ms. Warren has stirred more alarm than any other Democratic candidate. (Senator Bernie Sanders, who describes himself as a socialist, is also feared, but is considered less likely to capture the nomination.) November 04 – New York Times Are you a journalist covering the race for the Whitehouse? Then let our experts help. Dr. Stephen Farnsworth is professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington. A published author and a media ‘go-to’ on U.S. politics, he is available to speak with media regarding this topic. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
At first glance, it just seems like an obvious next step as online retail and same day delivery are pushing forward at lightening speeds. But recently, companies like UPS, CVS and WakeMed are exploring the idea of drugs and other health related items being delivered by drone. An M2 drone developed by UPS partner Matternet made the deliveries. The drone flew autonomously but was monitored by a remote operator who could intervene if needed. In each case, it hovered about 20 feet above the delivery destination and lowered its package to the ground using a winch and cable. The deliveries mark an expansion of UPS' partnership with Matternet, established in March to deliver medical samples using unmanned drones at WakeMed's flagship hospital and campus in Raleigh, North Carolina. The partnership has logged more than 1,500 drone deliveries at WakeMed so far. UPS subsidiary UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF) plans to build out its ground infrastructure to expand to other industries. "UPS is exploring and developing drone delivery in various industries, including some that need drone delivery to homes," said company spokesperson Kyle Peterson. The residential deliveries also represent an expansion of UPS' partnership with CVS. UPS began setting up package pickup and return locations in CVS stores nationwide this summer. The two are collaborating to develop drone delivery options, and UPS plans to expand drone deliveries beyond healthcare facilities. November 08 - TechNewsWorld https://www.technewsworld.com/story/86342.html It’s fast, and convenient – but is it right? Morvarid Rahmani has these findings that relate to the newest drone capabilities and approval to move forward from the FAA: It is exciting to hear about the FAA approval of using drones for delivering medical packages. Using drones to deliver medical packages can give rural communities access to products and medical supplies, which they would not be able to access otherwise. This delivery model is a way of incorporating social concerns and conditions of underserved populations into business practices. ·Successful implementation of inclusive business practices requires collaboration of for-profit firms with the public sector, civil society organizations, and communities. Using drones to deliver medial packages is a great example of collaboration between a governmental agency and for-profit companies, which is toward the dual goals of promoting efficiency and inclusion. Technology-driven innovations such as delivery drones or driverless vehicles not only facilitate last-mile delivery, they help with the inclusion of new sets of “customers”, especially those in remote locations or rural areas with poor infrastructure. Delivery drones are results of “technology push,” i.e., the solution came prior to the identification of the problem. These technologies enable inclusive retailing and distribution for large (excluded) communities all over the world. We know other retail giants (Amazon, Walmart, etc.) are going to use drones in the future but are they eyeing this option too or do they already have a plan ready? Do the risks outweigh the reward when it comes to safety and ensuring the proper prescription reaches the right patient? Is there enough oversight to ensure that criminal elements or corruption are kept at bay? Who is liable for the delivery? Or, is this just part of our evolving world that is coming and that it needs to be regulated by accepted? There are a lot of questions about the technological advancement of drones in supply chain – if you are a journalist covering this topic – let us help with your coverage. Morvarid Rahmani is an Assistant Professor of Operations Management at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech. She is an expert in the areas of research is on collaboration in work processes such as new product development, management/IT consulting, and education. Dr. Rahmani is available to speak with media regarding this topic – simple click on her icon to arrange an interview.
Pharmaceutical aerosols are painless, fast-acting and less likely to cause side effects than medicines delivered via pills or injections. Yet inhaled therapies are often avoided because of the challenges associated with targeting how aerosol particles are deposited within the lung. “Current inhalers produce fairly large particles, so approximately 90 percent of the medication gets lost in the mouth and throat. It’s swallowed and wasted. This prevents many medications from being delivered through the inhalation route, even though there are a number of advantages to be gained, such as improved efficacy and reduced side effects,” said Worth Longest, Ph.D., the Louis S. and Ruth S. Harris Exceptional Scholar Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering in the VCU College of Engineering. Simply making the particles smaller isn’t a solution. “The problem with making the particles smaller is that they go in really well — but they also come straight back out during exhalation,” said Michael Hindle, Ph.D., the Peter R. Byron Distinguished Professor in the VCU School of Pharmacy. With three National Institutes of Health R01 grants totaling more than $7 million, Longest and Hindle are applying a combined engineering and pharmaceutical approach to make inhaled medications more effective and available. In “High-Efficiency Aerosol Delivery Using the Excipient Enhanced Growth Concept: A Human Proof of Concept Study,” Longest and Hindle have created a novel platform that produces particles that are tiny when they enter the lungs — but grow in size as they travel down the warm, humid airways. This platform comprises a device that uses a mixer-heater to produce tiny particles, about one-fifth the size of those from conventional inhalers. With this delivery concept, a pharmaceutical powder or liquid is enhanced with a hygroscopic excipient, essentially a substance that attracts water. “Your lungs are full of water,” Hindle said. “So if you put something inside your lungs that likes water, it’s going to swell and grow in size and not be expelled.” Using sodium chloride — salt — as the hygroscopic excipient, they have tested their system in vitro. The results have been promising. “We’ve flipped the needle,” Longest said. “Previously, only 10 percent of the initial dose would reach the lung, and that 10 percent was poorly targeted within different lung regions. With our approach, you can get 90 percent in and distribute that 90 percent evenly, or target a specific lung region.” The researchers will begin testing their method on adults in two human proof-of-concept trials beginning in late 2019 and early 2020. In two separate, but related, NIH studies, Longest and Hindle are adapting this concept for patients ranging in age from newborn to six. Each project proposes a device approximately the size of a lipstick tube that contains a pediatric formulation (liquid or powder) enhanced with a hygroscopic excipient. There are currently no inhalers on the market specifically designed for children or infants, even though their inhaling patterns and volumes differ from those of adults. Pediatric patients therefore must use adult-sized devices. One study focuses on targeted lung delivery of the antibiotic tobramycin to children with cystic fibrosis, a population prone to respiratory infection because of overproduction of mucus in the lungs. Pediatric cystic fibrosis patients with lung infections usually receive the medication via, 20-minute nebulizer treatments daily, sometimes up to four per day. Longest and Hindle’s proposed alternative is a pediatric dry powder inhaler that is fast and easy to use. Because its particles are engineered to reach the deep lung, it is expected to eradicate infection more efficiently because there is less risk of resistant strains of bacteria forming in undertreated regions of the lung. The other study focuses on delivery of surfactant aerosols to premature infants. Surfactant is a substance found in healthy lungs that keeps the tissue supple enough to expand and contract properly. The respiratory system is among the last to develop in utero, so in newborns and preemies, this substance is sometimes not fully developed — or not present at all. When these infants experience severe respiratory distress, the current protocol is to intubate and administer large doses of liquid surfactant to the lung by way of the throat. This highly invasive and potentially dangerous procedure causes distress and blood pressure fluctuations. In this third NIH-funded study, the researchers are also developing a tiny, small volume nebulizer and a dry powder inhaler for efficient, noninvasive respiratory support for infants.
Alphabet And Fitbit: Could This Be the Competition the Wearables Segment Has Been Waiting For?
If Google can use FitBit to dominate the wearables market as they did with the android operating system for smartphones, the acquisition could make sense. Of course, the major player in this market is Apple. Circuit Seed for configurable analog in scalable digital and CoreLogika for hyperspeed logic computing are technologies that could lead to a significant improvement in performance over the Apple watch. These technologies are built using the Complementary Current-Injection Field-Effect Transistor (CiFET). This configurable platform uses the ratio of the source and drain channels to meet specific performance requirements for each application. The circuits are less complex, linear without correction circuitry, and much smaller using a fraction of the power consumption of similar components. They generate less heat and operate over a wide temperature range - improving the performance, sensitivity and reliability of the circuits. This results in longer battery life and more accurate measurements, making them suitable for monitoring applications for physical activity and health. Alphabet already has a health science division that will be an important asset. If the acquisition is successful, we expect to see an android smart phone integration with Fitbit that could extend the monitoring, data collection and analysis capabilities. The simplicity of Circuit Seed makes the RF connectivity an easy task to complete. For more information, please contact: Lesley Gent Director Client Relations, InventionShare™ lgent@InventionShare.com (613) 225-7236, Ext 131 Or visit our website at www.CircuitSeed.com
Will e-cigarettes and vaping be the next addictions epidemic to sweep across America?
In a recent op-ed, David T. Courtwright, Ph.D., an author and addiction specialist opined that there’s a market to getting people hooked on substances and that e-cigarettes are the next big problem facing America. "I had just finished a new book on addiction when the vaping crisis erupted. The gist of the book is that that globalization, industrialization, mass marketing, digitization, and social media have turned the ancient human preoccupation with disreputable, potentially addictive pleasures into lucrative, commercially normal enterprises. Bad habits have been McDonaldized. Vaping couldn’t have been a more perfect example of this. I call those who help make bad habits routine “limbic capitalists,” a reference to their products’ neural common denominator. Whether they sell junk food, porn, slots, computer games, alcohol, or drugs, they target the limbic system, the brain networks responsible for pleasure, motivation, long-term memory, and other survival functions linked to emotions. Biological evolution shaped the limbic system, which is indispensable for life and reproduction. But cultural evolution and technological change created a trapdoor. The same neural pathways can be exploited — lethally — by entrepreneurs of brain-rewarding products that foster excessive consumption and addictive behavior." October 28, 2019 – STAT There has been growing concern, awareness and news coverage about e-cigarettes and the dangers they present. As well, industry spin-doctors and public health advocates have been in overdrive trying to convince politicians about the pros and cons of legislation and regulation for these products. Are you a journalist covering this emerging issue? Then let the experts from Cedarville help with your coverage. Dr. Marc Sweeney is an expert specializing in drug abuse, prescription drug abuse, Opioid addiction, medical marijuana & related issues. Justin Cole is an expert in clinical pharmacy, Pharmacogenomics, and the pharmacy industry. Both experts are available to speak to media regarding this issue – simply click on either gentlemen’s icon to arrange an interview.
Gene therapy and the next frontier of medicine
Genetic testing today is mainstream, marketing to consumers who want to know where in Europe they came from or what types of hereditary diseases they could develop. For around $200 you can trace your family tree to learn your origins or identify genetic abnormalities that could signal disease. James Dahlman, assistant professor in the College of Engineering’s biomedical engineering department, specializes in genetics and believes these genotyping services can be helpful, as long as they are used responsibly. “If you’re going to start making medical predictions, you have to be careful,” said Dahlman. “Most people are not equipped to interpret statistics correctly, which can lead to negative predicting and ethical dilemmas. In a few years, genetic counselors will be in high demand so folks can make better decisions about their health.” Dahlman is fascinated by genetics, citing gene therapy as the most interesting field in the world. And it’s a field that he is revolutionizing through his research. Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent diseases, including hemophilia, Parkinson’s, cancer and HIV. It can help manage a number of diseases by leveraging genes instead of drugs or surgery. Although gene therapy shows promise, there are still risks involved, including unwanted immune system reactions or the risk of the wrong cells being targeted. That’s where Dahlman’s research comes in. Dahlman’s lab focuses on drug delivery vehicles, which are nanoparticles. The nanoparticle delivers gene therapies to the right place in the body to fight disease. It’s critical that the gene therapies only target the unhealthy cells to avoid damaging healthy ones. Dahlman is laser focused on ensuring the nanoparticles know what paths to take to reach the correct organ to start the healing process. “The issue with genetically-engineered drugs is that they don’t work unless they get to the right cell in the body,” said Dahlman. “You can have the world’s best genetic drug that's going to fix a tumor or eradicate plaque, but it’s not going to be effective unless it travels to the right organ. In my lab, we design different nanoparticles to deliver the genetically-engineered drugs to the correct location.” The field of genetic therapy is fascinating – and if you are a journalist looking to cover this topic or have questions for upcoming stories – let our experts help. James Dahlman is an Assistant Professor in the Georgia Tech BME Department. He is an expert in the area of biomedical engineering and uses molecular biology to rationally design the genetic drugs he delivers. This research is redefining the field of genetic therapy. Dr. Dahlman is available to speak with media – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
