Southeast Missouri State University has been awarded a $199,895 Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research to be led by Dr. Santaneel Ghosh, of the University’s Department of Engineering and Technology.
The project, entitled, “ERI: Nanoscale Photo-Magnetic Energy Transfer Modulation to Restore the Homeostatic Functioning of the Damaged Endothelium,” is funded for a two-year period that began on Aug. 1, 2023.
The proposed study will examine the endothelium, a single layer of cells which line the blood and lymphatic vessels. These cells are subject to significant stress in people with diabetes, various inflammatory diseases, and other conditions. This stress markedly increases a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, which can result in serious complications, including death.
Light therapy is currently used as a non-invasive method to improve these damaged cells. The short-term goal of the currently funded project is to investigate the efficacy of an innovative multimodal comprehensive strategy to more fully re-establish cell functioning. Dr. Ghosh and his team will couple light therapy with magnetic nanostructures and energy-harvesting nanodevices in an attempt to more effectively target damaged cells for repair.
The long-term goal of the research is to develop noninvasive therapeutic applications to improve the treatment outcomes for diseases that involve damage to the cells that line blood vessels. If successful, this novel therapeutic approach and the knowledge gained from it have the potential to impact the future treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The interdisciplinary research will be conducted by a diverse group of faculty and students from multiple fields of science and technology.
The grant was awarded under the NSF Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) program, which provides grant funding to build engineering research capacity across the nation by investing in new academic investigators who have yet to receive research funding from federal agencies. This funding opportunity aims to broaden the base of investigators involved in engineering research. The ERI program supports investigators who are not affiliated with research-intensive institutions as they initiate their research programs and advance in their careers as researchers, educators, and innovators.
The National Science Foundation was established as a federal agency in 1950 when President Harry S. Truman signed Public Law 81-507. Since then, NSF has supported basic research — research driven by curiosity and discovery — at colleges, universities, and other organizations across the country for over seven decades. While NSF has grown and evolved since 1950, its mission has remained the same: "To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense; and for other purposes."