Ashkarran recieved NIH funding

A new research project at UCCS, funded by an NIH R03 grant, aims to analyze the heterogeneity of protein corona; the layer of biomolecules that form on nanoparticles when they interact with biological fluids. Led by Dr. Ali Ashkarran, the study addresses a major barrier in nanomedicine: the inability to detect subtle but critical differences in protein corona composition that can influence clinical outcomes. By developing a highly sensitive magnetic levitation (MagLev) system with up to 1,000 times greater resolution than standard setups, the team can distinguish between nanoparticles with nearly identical densities but different surface biomolecule profiles. This innovative approach could dramatically improve the clinical translation of nanomaterials by offering a powerful, yet simple, tool for understanding nanoparticle behavior in complex biological environments.