CHAPEL HILL, NC – Andrew Wang, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology, was an invited participant in the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI), a program of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine with support from the W.M. Keck Foundation. Wang is a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
One of 150 participants, Wang presented his research on November 17, 2010 using nanotechnology to develop cancer therapeutics that can be tracked in a patient’s body to evaluate how well a therapy is working. Such technology will allow the treatment to be tailored to an individual patient-personalized medicine.
Wang explained, “Being able to attend the NAKFI is a great honor, especially for a junior faculty member such as me. The meeting provides a unique opportunity for me to learn and interact with experts with diverse backgrounds who conduct research in different areas of imaging science.
“The NAKFI is known to set directions on the whole field of research, such as the 2004 NAKFI meeting on nanotechnology which was attended by Dr. Joseph DeSimone, now a world leader of nanomedicine. I hope to refine and re-direct my research based on the recommendations of this meeting. Ultimately, I hope to translate my research into novel cancer treatments that will benefit patients in the near future.”
Launched in 2003, NAKFI has been catalyzing interdisciplinary research at the intersection of science, engineering and medicine, and enhancing education among researchers, funding organizations, and universities.