{"id":10607,"date":"2025-12-06T05:16:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T05:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=10607"},"modified":"2025-12-09T15:36:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T15:36:51","slug":"materials-national-institutes-of-health-awards-1-9m-toward-auburn-engineerings-transformative-research-into-rapid-immunodiagnostics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=10607","title":{"rendered":"Materials: National Institutes of Health awards $1.9M toward Auburn Engineering\u2019s transformative research into rapid immunodiagnostics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Pengyu Chen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pengyu Chen, the Francis Family Associate Professor and Ginn Faculty Achievement Fellow in the Department of Materials Engineering, believes he\u2019ll soon be able to immediately unlock the secrets of your immune system with the prick of a finger.<\/p>\n

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) continues to believe it, too.<\/p>\n

The NIH recently awarded Chen $1.9 million to continue his groundbreaking research on immune system analysis. The five-year grant is an extension of a 2019 NIH Maximizing Investigators\u2019 Research Award (MIRA) for the same amount.<\/p>\n

Chen\u2019s research team will continue to develop cutting-edge technologies that combine nanomaterial-based sensors with advanced computer algorithms to measure, with just a single drop of blood, key immune proteins and track how immune cells behave and communicate. The innovative approach promises to provide critical insights that could transform the diagnosis and treatment of immune-related diseases like cancer, autoimmune disorders and infections.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile this grant builds on the foundation of our 2019 MIRA, it is more than an extension,\u201d Chen said. \u201cWe are broadening the scope of our work, incorporating AI-assisted technology and novel biosensing platforms to enhance immune profiling and monitoring.\u201d<\/p>\n

A key motivation for the project? Accessibility for all, Chen says, \u201cregardless of their geographical or economic situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy leveraging AI with our nanoplasmonic biosensing platforms, we aim to provide rapid, real-time and highly personalized immune diagnostics at the point of care,\u201d he said. \u201cThis technology could have massive implications\u2014enabling precise, accessible healthcare solutions for populations that are often underserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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