USM Researchers Collaborate $2.5 Million Project to Accelerate Growth in Mississippi’s Biotech Industry

Mon,
08/05/2024 – 11:23am | By: Gabriela Shinskie

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) will collaborate with other state institutions
to elevate Mississippi’s biomaterial research, education, and workforce development.
The $2.5 million project will focus on economic growth, science, healthcare, and workforce
preparation.

The drive for the grant began at the University of Mississippi, where researchers
saw a need to focus on how to engineer materials to support the treatment of diseases
and injuries associated with the immune system and response. USM’s role will be to
develop polymers and materials needed for testing for the duration of the grant. Dr.
Tristan Clemons, Professor at USM’s School of Polymer Science and Engineering, is
the Co-Principal Investigator (PI) and is excited to lead Southern Miss throughout
the collaboration.

“I am really excited to get underway on this project. Since arriving at Southern Miss,
my group has focused on applying polymeric materials for tissue regeneration and drug
delivery applications,” expressed Clemons.

The Mississippi Nano-bio and ImmunoEngineering Consortium (NIEC) consists of seven
institutions, including Alcorn State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi
State University, Tougaloo College, The University of Mississippi, The University
of Mississippi Medical Center, The University of Southern Mississippi. The project
is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE) Research
Infrastructure Program. 

Dr. Alex Flynt, Director of the USM Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences,
believes the project and collaborative efforts will produce strong scientific relationships
and ground-breaking research. 

“These large, multi-institute collaborations are really exciting for the potential
to build excellence in our state. Beyond the impact on science the E-RISE will also
help build a strong scientific community in Mississippi that will serve our citizens
well. An outcome the E-RISE strongly emphasizes is promoting a knowledge-based economy
that I feel will lead to new opportunities and greater prosperity in Mississippi,”
states Flynt. 

“The E-RISE brings together like-minded scientists across the state providing a great
network to test our materials and accelerate our research,” said Clemons. 

Learn more about USM’s Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences’ impact on the research community and the USM School of Polymer Science along with Dr. Clemon’s research efforts.