Congratulations to juniors Grace Hao and Kevin Necochea, who have been awarded PURA grants for their research. The Provost’s Undergraduate Research Award (PURA) is awarded to Johns Hopkins University undergraduate students and affords them the opportunity to conduct their research with the aid of a $2,500 grant as well as a chance to present their work at the DREAMS event.
Grace Hao’s research is focused on the permeability of nanoparticles that vary in size and surface chemistry through Tumor vessels. This research will help in finding more specific drug targeting for tumor masses.
Kevin Necochea’s research involves using artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs) carrying a stimulatory molecule and an inhibitory molecule of a regulator step to increase activation of CD8+ T cells in vitro. This dual approach targets the priming and activation step of the Cancer-Immunity Cycle by switching off the immunosuppressive PD-L1 pathway on tumor cells and switching on the co-stimulatory 4-1BB pathway on CD8 cells.