The funding will help Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Science Dr. Yi Charlie Chen research targeted treatments for chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer.
Bluefield State University Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Science Dr. Yi Charlie Chen has received a Major Award from the West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence in the amount of $370,000 to fund his research project called “Natural Compounds, Smart Nanomaterials, and AI-Designed Peptides for Targeted Treatment of Chemoresistant Ovarian Cancer.”
According to an article on Bluefield State University’s website, Dr. Chen is quoted as saying of his project, “This award will allow us to investigate new approaches to one of the most difficult challenges in ovarian cancer treatment by combining natural compounds, smart nanomaterials, and artificial intelligence-designed peptides, we hope to improve the stability, targeting, and effectiveness of potential treatments. I am grateful to WV-INBRE and Bluefield State University for supporting this work and the research opportunities it will provide our students.”
Dr. Chen’s research will look at the effectiveness of delivering natural compounds to cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy cells. Ovarian cancer is a particularly deadly cancer in part because of its tendency to develop chemotherapy resistance, as well as its high recurrence rates. Dr. Chen will research two natural compounds that are found in tea: theaflavin-3,3′-digallate, known as TF3, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate, known as EGCG. Dr. Chen will examine two complementary methods of delivery of these compounds: pH-responsive nanoparticles and AI-designed anticancer peptides. The project will look at both of these methods of delivery and their effectiveness in ovarian cancer cells, as well as in normal human cells, and is expected to lay the groundwork for future preclinical studies.
Acting President Cathy Deeb said of Dr. Chen’s research, “Dr. Chen is taking on one of the hardest problems in cancer treatment: what happens when chemotherapy stops working. This award recognizes his expertise, the years he has devoted to this work, and his commitment to giving students meaningful experience in advanced biomedical research. We are proud to have him at Bluefield State.”
Both undergraduate and graduate students will have the opportunity to work as research assistants on this project. They will gain experience in cancer biology, nanotechnology, computational design, laboratory methods, and scientific communication.
Dr. Chen said, “Research allows students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to a real scientific question. They gain technical skills, but they also learn how to think critically, solve problems, and communicate their findings. Those experiences can shape what they choose to do after graduation.”
Dr. Chen has been studying the use of natural compounds and nanotechnology in cancer treatment for more than a decade. In 2013, he studied whether kaempferol, a natural compound found in berries and tea, could inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer cells, and through that research, learned that encapsulating the compound within nanoparticles could improve its effectiveness. His other research looks at how bioactive natural compounds affect human health and cancer and the application of nanotechnology in biomedical research.
At Bluefield State University, Dr. Chen teaches environmental science, molecular biology, microbiology, cell biology, and associated laboratory courses. He earned his bachelor and master’s degrees at Zhejiang University in China and later earned a second master’s degree and a doctorate from Washington State University. He was an assistant professor at Zhejiang University, a professor at Alderson Broaddus University, and a researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He received the Alderson Broaddus University Faculty of the Year Award two separate times and was a finalist for the West Virginia Professor of the Year Award. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nutritional Medicine and Diet Care and is on the editorial boards for several other scientific journals. Additionally, he has authored or co-authored 94 scientific papers.
For more information about Bluefield State University, visit the school’s website.