BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN
TZID:America/New_York
X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:0-7409@eng.ufl.edu
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250310T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250310T160000
DTSTAMP:20251201T182100Z
URL:https://www.eng.ufl.edu/news-events/events/bme-seminar-breaking-barrie
 rs-advancing-sirna-delivery-using-peptide-carriers-for-precision-cancer-th
 erapies/
SUMMARY:BME Seminar: Breaking Barriers: Advancing siRNA Delivery using Pept
 ide Carriers for Precision Cancer Therapies
DESCRIPTION:Angela Alexander-Bryant\, Ph.D.\nAssociate Professor \nDepartme
 nt of Bioengineering\nClemson University\n\nAbstract:\nThe discovery that 
 exogenous siRNAs induce sequence-specific inhibition of gene expression ha
 s resulted in the investigation of the use of RNAi-based approaches to tre
 at many diseases\, including cancer. siRNA holds significant promise in pr
 ecision medicine for cancer treatment due to its ability to target specifi
 c genes or genetic pathways. Though many oncogenes have been identified as
  targets for gene therapy to treat cancer through siRNA delivery\, some ch
 allenges must be addressed to harness the full potential of RNAi technolog
 y. siRNAs face several significant barriers to delivery that limit the eff
 icacy of siRNA therapeutics. The hydrophilicity\, high molecular weight\, 
 and negative charge of siRNAs hinder their intracellular trafficking\, whi
 le endosomal entrapment and subsequent lysosomal degradation further reduc
 e their efficacy. As a result\, the accumulation of siRNAs at their target
  site to a therapeutically effective level is a crucial hurdle for deliver
 y. Extensive research has focused on non-viral delivery of synthetic siRNA
 s using nanoparticles due to their enhanced stability\, versatility\, and 
 biocompatibility. Among these\, peptide carriers have been explored to ove
 rcome nucleic acid transport barriers and have proven to be a promising ap
 proach for efficient delivery. Cell-penetrating\, targeting\, and fusogeni
 c peptides offer distinct advantages for cellular internalization\, cell-s
 pecific uptake\, and endosomal escape\, respectively. This talk will discu
 ss the development and evaluation of novel peptides that have successfully
  delivered bioactive siRNAs into cancer cells\, resulting in effective sil
 encing of oncogenes. By addressing the key challenges of siRNA delivery\, 
 these approaches may provide more effective RNAi-based cancer therapies.\n
 \nBio:\nDr. Angela Alexander-Bryant\, an Associate Professor in Clemson Un
 iversity's Department of Bioengineering\, holds bachelor's and master's de
 grees from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Cle
 mson University. Her Nanobiotechnology Lab focuses on innovative therapeut
 ic delivery methods\, combining materials science\, nanotechnology\, gene 
 therapy\, and drug delivery to advance cancer treatments. She received a 2
 021 Early Career Award from the National Science Foundation and directs th
 e NIH-funded Call Me Doctor ESTEEMED Scholars program\, promoting early in
 volvement in biomedical research for underrepresented students.
CATEGORIES:Seminars
LOCATION:Communicore Room C1-4\, 1249 Center Dr.\, Gainesville\, Florida\, 
 32610\, United States
GEO:29.648381;-82.348511
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=1249 Center Dr.\, Gainesvil
 le\, Florida\, 32610\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Communicor
 e Room C1-4:geo:29.648381,-82.348511
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
DTSTART:20250309T030000
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
END:DAYLIGHT
END:VTIMEZONE
END:VCALENDAR