| Grant Category: | Fulbright-Nehru Student Research Program |
| Field of Specialization: | Bio-Medical Engineering |
| Name: | Mr. Erik Taylor |
| Official Address: | Brown University, Graduate Rhode Island |
| Indian Host Institution: | Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Duration of Grant & Start Date : |
Duration: 9 months February 2012 |
| Brief Bio: | |
|
Mr. Erik Taylor received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His senior design project was "An arthroscopic tool for the delivery of a thermo-sensitive hydrogel into damaged knee cartilage." His research excellence brought him an Office of the Vice President Undergraduate Research Fellowship for his work with Reese Endowed Professor Miguel Jose Yacaman in the Department of Chemical Engineering. His research is geared towards designing treatments for antibiotic resistant biofilms on medical devices. He uses nanotechnology to create novel interfaces promoting the natural elimination of biofilm. He is currently a graduate student working towards his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Brown University. He is advised by the Graduate Director of the Center for Biomedical Engineering, Associate Professor Thomas J. Webster. Through Prof. Webster's guidance and expertise, he is working on his thesis entitled "Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPION) for the Treatment of Implant Infection." The Society for Biomaterials recently bestowed upon Erik the Student Travel Achievement Recognition (STAR) graduate student award one of its most prestigious graduate student honors for his exemplary work in nanotechnology. Erik Taylor also has 10 peer reviewed publications in journals including "Biomaterials", "Advanced Materials Research", and "Nanotechnology". Medical devices are the standard of care in the United States, and internationally, to improve healthcare. Yet, as the use of these devices increases, so does the chance of device related infections (DRI). The purpose of this study to apply knowledge of nanotechnology towards a novel therapy for DRI. Mr. Taylor's Fulbright-Nehru research is titled as "Lipid Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Hospital Acquired Infections." On a previous internship to IIT-Bombay, Mr. Taylor found in collaboration with Dr. Rinti Banerjee that a biocompatible lipid nanoparticle was a promising method to treat resistant infections. Additionally, commercial resources were realized with Piramal Life Sciences, a Mumbai based biotechnology company, and Dr. Arun Balakrishnan. The goal of this fellowship will be to further develop these efforts towards treatment of infection. | |
