Success

Life sciences research at North Carolina A&T is producing results in a broad range of focus areas. Current projects targeting the opioid epidemic, treatment-resistant breast cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are making a difference. 

Harnessing Social Media to Study the Opioid Epidemic

Dr. Mohd Anwar, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science within the College of Engineering at N.C. A&T, is performing computational health research using the Twitter social media platform to study the opioid epidemic. With more than 50,000 opioid-related overdose deaths estimated in 2017 in the United States, the opioid epidemic has emerged as a major health crisis. 

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research

Researchers at N.C. A&T and UNC-Chapel Hill were awarded an NC TraCS Pilot Grant to investigate a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. The team worked to determine the role of viral factors in the virulent nature of triple-negative breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer represents 15 to 20 percent of breast carcinomas. It is prevalent in younger women, African-American women and in women with BRCA1 gene mutations. This type of cancer is very aggressive, has a poor prognosis, fails to respond to conventional therapy and appears in many forms. The causes and molecular basis of this cancer are currently unknown, though multiple factors, including viruses, may be involved. 

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder Research

Dr. Jenora Waterman has made a key discovery toward improving the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among agricultural workers, and is wrapping up a prestigious, three-year career K Scholar development program, which advanced her research. Waterman is an assistant professor of functional genomics in the Department of Animal Sciences at North Carolina A&T. COPD is a major cause of death in the United States, most typically found among smokers. A less-studied aspect of the disease is the 7 percent of its U.S. victims who are agricultural workers. They can develop COPD as a result of long-term exposure to animal production facilities containing dust that contributes to respiratory diseases. 

Serving as a Proposal Reviewer Helps Others, Yourself, and N.C. A&T!

Because N.C. A&T faculty have such significant expertise, they are widely-represented on review panels of multiple funding agencies. Click "read more" below to read comments from several N.C. A&T faculty who currently serve as proposal reviewers for different funding agencies. See what they have to say, and consider joining them! 

Contact us to learn more at LifeSciencesResearch@ncat.edu
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