THE AFONIN LAB AT UNC CHARLOTTE
EST. 2015
Workshops Organized
Isolation and use of peripheral blood mononuclear cells for the investigation of the immune response to nucleic acid nanoparticles and their carriers
(July 31- August 18, 2023)
Ph.D. Candidate Yelixza Avila spent three weeks at the Nanotechnology Characterization Lab to be trained by Dr. Newton on techniques used to investigate cytokine production of our NANPs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Nanosystem Solutions for Precision Oncology Workshop
(June 12-16, 2023)
Congratulations to the participants who successfully completed our week-long workshop on how our nucleic acid platforms can be applied to aid in the development of more precise cancer therapeutics. A special thanks to our presenter, Dr. Roger Chammas, MD-Ph.D. (Professor and chair of oncology at the Institute of Cancer of São Paulo), for sharing his valuable time and expertise!
Testing Antibacterial Properties of AgNCs and AgNPs
(Summer 2021, 2022, and 2023)
Many STEM students graduate without any actual hands-on research experience, due to the high numbers of students and a relatively low number of research-active faculty (and of course COVID-19 made it even worse). A lack of experience can additionally downgrade the competitiveness of graduates and reduce their chances to successfully pursue academic careers, thus indirectly affecting the development of the research field of RNA nanotechnology. To address this deficiency, as a part of ouRNAno initiative, the Afonin lab implemented a
week-long summer boot camp that introduces students to the emerging field of therapeutic nanotechnology and gives them basic research experience.
Molecular and Cellular Immunology: from Basics to Applications in Preclinical Development of Nanotechnology-Formulated Drugs (August 5-15, 2019)
The Afonin Lab hosted Dr. Marina Dobrovolskaia (Head of Immunology, NCL) for a two-week workshop covering topics such as an in-depth review of cellular and molecular immunology, basic principles of immunotoxicology and the associated FDA regulatory requirements, preclinical characterization of nanomaterials, and practical applications of immunotoxicology profiles.
Cancer: A Discussion Series on its Biology and Targeting Strategies (March 5-7, 2018)
The Afonin Lab hosted Dr. Roger Chammas (Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil) for a three-day cancer workshop to provide education and discussion about current clinical approaches to faculty, students, and researchers. Dr. Chammas gave a series of lectures, followed by discussions about new strategies and collaborative efforts.
