University of Houston College of Pharmacy researchers secured more than $1 million in new funding to tackle three distinct healthcare challenges, including sepsis, Alzheimer’s disease, and sickle cell-related depression, according to institutional announcements. The grants back projects aimed at developing new drug delivery systems, artificial intelligence tools, and specialized diagnostic screeners to improve patient outcomes.
Nanomedicine Approach Targets Hospital Sepsis Deaths
Fanfei Meng, assistant professor and Presidential Frontier Faculty member in the Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, developed a new nanomedicine for sepsis and septic shock, according to university records. Sepsis remains a leading cause of hospital deaths worldwide, occurring when an immune response to a bacterial infection triggers widespread inflammation and organ failure.
“Our preliminary studies have been extremely encouraging,” Fanfei Meng said. “The nanoparticle formulation reduced drug toxicity, preserved potent antibacterial activity, broadly suppressed inflammatory signaling, and achieved complete survival in a preclinical model of severe sepsis.”
Because antibiotics alone frequently fail to stop the cascade, Meng’s nanoparticle delivers two treatments simultaneously. The formulation pairs an antibiotic to clear bacteria with an immunomodulator designed to calm an overactive immune response. The research team is pursuing patent protection for the technology.
Artificial Intelligence Accelerates Dementia Drug Repurposing
Tiansheng Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, is utilizing artificial intelligence to speed up the search for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia treatments, according to the University of Houston. Wang focuses on drug repurposing to determine if medicines already approved for other conditions can help patients at risk for dementia.
Nationally, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias cost $305B, making targeted prevention and early identification critical public health priorities, according to university reports. Wang’s project combines multiple data streams that researchers typically analyze independently.
“My project will bring together several types of information that are often studied separately: medication use and other real-world health data, genetic information, cognitive assessments, and brain imaging,” Tiansheng Wang said. “By including these earlier indicators, we may be able to evaluate potential drug effects more accurately than by relying only on diagnoses documented in medical records.”
New Screening Tool Addresses Sickle Cell Disease Depression
Onye Ononogbu, research assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research, is building a specialized screening tool to identify depression in patients living with sickle cell disease, according to university disclosures. Physical symptoms of sickle cell disease, such as fatigue, altered appetite, and sleep disruption, frequently mirror the clinical indicators of depression.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What do the University of Houston pharmacy grants target?
The funding supports three specific studies targeting sepsis treatment, artificial intelligence-driven Alzheimer’s drug repurposing, and a depression screening tool for sickle cell disease patients.
How does the new sepsis nanomedicine work?
Developed by Fanfei Meng, the nanoparticle delivers an antibiotic to eliminate bacteria alongside an immunomodulator to suppress overactive inflammatory signaling simultaneously.
Why is diagnosing depression difficult in sickle cell disease patients?
Physical symptoms of sickle cell disease, including chronic fatigue, sleep disruptions, and appetite changes, closely resemble the symptoms of clinical depression.
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