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.