Brian Gentry, assistant professor of pharmacology, received a $15,000 grant through NASA’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The grant will help fund his project titled, “Pharmacological Enhancement of Anti-Viral Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Herpes Virus Infections.”
The project will explore the use of combination pharmacotherapy to improve the efficacy of current chemotherapeutics as part of a countermeasure for herpes viral infections that could potentially develop during space travel.
“I enjoy working on projects that explore viable solutions to real needs—in this case, development of a therapy regimen for a series of diseases that are a real threat to long-term space exploration,” says Gentry. “In addition, I enjoy working with students. Seeing their energy and enthusiasm for the research they are performing is contagious.”
The NASA EPSCoR grant allows recipients to strengthen relationships with NASA, discuss specific concept proposals with NASA, and attend important technical conferences to network with potential collaborators.
For more information, contact Brian Gentry at 515-271-2980 or brian.gentry@drake.edu.