As part of a new collaboration, the Eshelman Institute for Innovation  (EII), within the UNC Eshelman School  of Pharmacy, in North Carolina, US, will work with Aston University, in Birmingham, England, on a three-year project focused on preventing damage caused by swelling of the central nervous system (CNS).

EII issued a US$400,000 grant to co-principal investigators, Dr Kevin Frankowski, assistant professor for the Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and Professor Roslyn Bill, professor of biotechnology at Aston University, to develop treatments for  CNS swelling.

Professor Roslyn Bill, professor of biotechnology at Aston University

Dr Frankowksi said: “The validation of non-surgical approaches to treat the CNS swelling that may occur following a stroke or traumatic brain or spine injuries remains a critical unmet medical challenge. Safe and effective treatment options are urgently needed for the millions of patients worldwide who suffer from these injuries every year. I am excited to partner with Roslyn Bill and her team to develop first-in-class small molecule candidates  as potential therapeutic agents to treat  the underlying cause of CNS swelling  post stroke or accident.”

The EII was established in 2014 with a  $100 million commitment from Dr Fred Eshelman, and provides translational grant funding to Carolina faculty for therapeutic research focused on oncology, infectious disease, and neuroscience (including rare diseases); however, the EII welcomes ideas for devices and diagnostics, and other therapeutic areas and services. Through their grant mechanism, the EII encourages research proposals that include a broad spectrum of scientific engagement through meaningful collaborations  across a variety of diverse disciplines, departments, schools, and institutions.

Dr John Bamforth, executive director  of the EII and a former graduate of  Aston University, said: “We are extremely  excited to see this collaboration begin. EII embraces bringing together the brightest and best scientists to solve major patient needs. Personally, it is also a delight to  see the number one school of pharmacy in the US partner with Aston.”

Commenting on the initiative, Prof Bill  said: “It gives me unparalleled access to  the medicinal chemistry expertise at EII  and I’ll be working with a world expert  in their neuropharmacology area, Kevin Frankowski. That will allow us to combine the discovery that I’ve made on the biological mechanism behind traumatic brain injury and Kevin’s deep knowledge  of the chemistry. I can’t think of a better partner for that. This work will get us  closer to a medicine for people who’ve  had a traumatic injury to the brain or  spinal cord. There’s currently nothing available so the potential is huge.”