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Nanoengineers receive $5M in funding to use plant viruses to fight cancer and save crops

Nicole Steinmetz, professor in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering and Director of the at the Â鶹´«Ã½ Jacobs School of Engineering

September 18, 2024

Congratulations to Â鶹´«Ã½ chemical and nano engineering professor Nicole Steinmetz and her lab for bringing in over $5 million in new research funding this year to continue their work developing nanoparticles to fight cancer and save crops! These nanoparticles are engineered from a surprising ally: plant viruses.

Steinmetz’s research over the past decade has revealed the potential of plant virus nanoparticles to , as well as . At first glance, these projects may seem worlds apart. But they share a unifying theme: using plant virus nanoparticles for targeted treatment.

“Whether we are talking about the health of the body or the health of plants, the principle is the same,” said Steinmetz. “We are leveraging nature’s own nanoparticles to address some of our biggest challenges, particularly in the fight against cancer and in our efforts to improve agriculture. The new funding builds on our many years of prior research results.”

Steinmetz’s ambitions extend beyond Earth. She sees potential for her plant virus research to play a role in space exploration. “I am particularly excited to expand this line of research toward space missions,” she said. “If we can develop methods to produce medications in plants during space missions, we could potentially change how we approach health care in space.”

Newly funded research projects in the Steinmetz lab are listed below:

Project title: CPMV-POLYMER DEVICES TO ENHANCE THE OUTCOMES OF INTRATUMORAL IMMUNOTHERAPY

Funder: National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Award amount: $3,656,862
Primary Investigator: Nicole Steinmetz
Primary Investigator: Jon Pokorski

Project title: ENGINEERING VIRAL NANOPARTICLES FOR TLR AGONIST-BASED MULTI-FUNCTIONAL CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPIES

Funder: National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Award amount: $975,184
Primary Investigator: Zhongchao (Kevin) Zhao
Mentor: Nicole Steinmetz 

Project title: PLANT VIRUS NANOPARTICLES FOR THE BIOCHEMICAL/CHEMICAL CONTROL OF PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES

Funder: US Department of Agriculture NIFA
Award amount: $591,500
Primary Investigator: Nicole Steinmetz

Project title: STREAMLINED MOLECULAR FARMING OF VIRUS-LIKE PARTICLE (VLP) THERAPEUTICS IN SPACE

Funder: Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH)
Award amount: $180,000
Primary Investigator: Nicole Steinmetz
Trainee: Patrick Opdensteinen

Project title: SYSTEMIC PLANT VIRUS CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY TO PREVENT METASTASIS

Funder: American Cancer Society EDS Accelerator Award
Award amount: $75,000
Primary Investigator: Nicole Steinmetz

Media Contacts

Liezel Labios
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-246-1124
llabios@ucsd.edu