Professors Xiaohua Peng and Alexander Arnold were awarded a $60,000 UWM Research Foundation’s Catalyst Grant.
The program, supported by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and Clarios, has awarded a total of $180,000 to promising research and development in areas where UWM has the greatest potential to impact the regional economy through commercialization activities.
Their project concusses on improving chemotherapy treatment for cancer, which typically causes multiple side effects because it does not distinguish between malignant cells and healthy ones. Peng’s group has designed patented cancer prodrugs, which are compounds selectively activated by conditions that are unique to the tumor microenvironment. She has recently observed synergistic effects with her compounds combined with high-dose vitamin C in triple-negative breast cancer cells.