ChE graduate students finish 2nd in HHS Competition
Two Davidson School of Chemical Engineering graduate students placed second for their poster presentation at the Heath and Disease: Science, Technology, Culture, and Policy Research Symposium.
Hosted by the School of Health and Human Sciences, the March 5, 2020 competition was open to all students, staff, and faculty at Purdue University.
Kaustabh Sarkar and Dhushyanth Viswanath were recognized for their research, "Radio-Luminescent Nanoparticle Formulations for Treatment of Solid Tumors” in the Cancer Division. Sarkar and Viswanath received a $300 prize for their finish. Both students are advised by Dr. You-Yeon Won, Professor in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering.
"The symposium was a great opportunity for all graduate students to showcase their results and network with peers working in different groups," said Sarkar.
Sarkar and Viswanath are currently working on nanoparticle drug delivery systems that can be intratumorally injected to provide combination chemotherapy/photodynamic therapy and radiotherapy for treating locally advanced head and neck cancers. The formulations have the potential to address several shortcomings of systemic chemotherapy/radiotherapy currently used in clinics.
"The poster session was a great platform for having insightful discussions about our work with a multitude of judges who are experts in the field," explained Viswanath.
Symposium competition was divided into six categories: cancer; cardiovascular and metabolic diseases; health care culture and policy; health care technology and engineering; inflammation, immunology, and infectious diseases; and neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases.
Read more about the Heath and Disease: Science, Technology, Culture, and Policy Research Symposium: https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/releases/2020/Q1/health-and-disease-poster-session-to-take-place-march-5-poster-submissions-sought.html
Source: Kaustabh Sarkar, ksarkar@purdue.edu
Dhushyanth Viswanath, dviswan@purdue.edu
Writer: Heidi Cervantes, hcervant@purdue.edu