News

OCTOber 15, 2024

Molecular Pharmaceutics PhD student Tanya Chhibber's abstract "Transdermal Delivery of Ultradeformable Cationic Liposomes Complexed with microRNA Prevents Transformation of Melanocytes to Melanoma," was recently featured in the American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences Topical and Transdermal Community newsletter for her research on transdermal drug delivery systems. Tanya has been conducting studies aimed at developing ultradeformable cationic liposomes for the transdermal delivery of miRNAs or small molecule drugs. Her work specifically targets BRAFV600E+ melanocytes, with the goal of stabilizing these cells in the nevus state in vivo, thereby preventing their transformation into melanoma.

Tanya’s project is co-mentored by Drs. Hamid Ghandehari and Paris Jafari from the Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Dr. Robert Judson-Torres from the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Congratulations Tanya for this recognition!

September 21, 2024

Congratulations to members of Ghandehari/Pulsipher lab for presenting at Utah Biomedical Engineering Conference (UBEC).

At the meeting hosted by the University of Utah Biomedical Engineering Department, Biomedical Engineering PhD Student Sushanto Kumar Saha and undergraduate student Andy Yue Yu gave a talk about their projects. Biomedical Engineering PhD Students Priyanka Arunachalam, Nejra Mujkanović, John Michael Thomas, and Molecular Pharmaceutics PhD student Tanya Chhibber presented their posters.

September 11, 2024

Molecular Pharmaceutics PhD Student Tanya Chhibber (Ghandehari and Judson-Torres Labs) presented her project "Transdermal delivery of miR211-5p stabilizes BRAFV600E+ melanocytic nevi" as both a poster and oral presentation at PanAmerican Society for Pigment Cell Research (PASPCR) Conference in New York, NY. She was also the recipient of a travel award for the meeting.

Congratulations to Tanya!

AUGUST 16, 2024

Congratulations to Dr. Hamid Ghandehari for being recognized as The John and Marcia Price College of Engineering Graduate Teacher of the Year for 2023 - 2024 school year.

MAY 31, 2024

Tanya Chhibber Wins AAPS Best Abstract Award.

Molecular Pharmaceutics Ph.D student Tanya Chhibber (Hamid Ghandehari Lab) has been selected to receive the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Best Abstract Award! This recognition places her research among the top 10% of submissions, evaluated on the basis of data-driven conclusions, novelty, advancement of the field, and the suitability of the evaluation strategy.

Tanya’s abstract "Transdermal Delivery of Ultradeformable Cationic Liposomes Complexed with microRNA Prevents Transformation of Melanocytes to Melanoma” is in collaboration with Dr. Robert Judson-Torres' Lab at Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Congratulations to Tanya!

May 8, 2024

Dr. Abby Pulsipher was honored by her peers in the University of Utah College of Pharmacy for Going the Extra Mile (GEM)! GEMs are nominated monthly by their peers in the College recognizing outstanding performance. Abby had a record-breaking number of nominations from her peers. Some of the comments included:

      "Abby is one of the most motivating things in my work environment. Watching her working with a high motivation also motivates you!"

      "Dr. Pulsipher ran an incredible entrepreneurship-themed Journal Club this fall. She brought in guest speakers with valuable experience to share with students. The course was invaluable as a PhD student in pharmaceutics. Dr. Pulsipher is the epitome of a student-centered professor."

      "I am always impressed by her. She brings a friendly but professional energy to everything she does, and I personally have learned a lot from her. She has already racked up a very impressive amount of awards, grants, publications, and presentations in her short time here. I think many of our female students find her incredibly inspiring (and I do to!)."

APRIL 24, 2024

Congratulations to Biomedical Engineering undergraduate student Oliver Hubbard who received the third-place prize for his presentation  “Reducing Drug Adsorption in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Circuits” at the 2024 Biomedical Engineering Senior Research Symposium! Oliver did this research under the supervision of Dr. Nitish Khurana and in collaboration with Dr. Kevin Watt in Clinical Pharmacology Department.

APRIL 22, 2024

Congratulations to Dr. Hamid Ghandehari for his recent honors by the Office of Undergraduate Research! Dr. Ghandehari was named the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor for the College of Pharmacy

MARCH 7, 2024

Congratulations to Drs. Nitish Khurana (Molecular Pharmaceutics and Pediatrics), Venkata Yellepeddi (Pediatrics), Hamid Ghandehari (Molecular Pharmaceutics), and Kevin M. Watt (Pediatrics)! Their manuscript “Direct and Continuous Dosing of Propofol can Saturate Ex vivo ECMO Circuit to Improve Propofol Recovery” in the Journal of ExtraCorporeal Technology was selected for the JECT Technique Article Award.