MADISON—In April, the University of Wisconsin System announced UW Oshkosh Assistant Professor of Chemistry John Chan as a 2022 Regent Scholar Award recipient.

The award, which comes with one-time grants to pursue a project in their field of study, recognizes UW System faculty for their extraordinary efforts in support of undergraduate research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Chan’s project is “A Novel Chemotherapy to Treat Parasitic Flatworms Causing Human and Animal Disease”

Currently, broad spectrum control of parasitic flatworm infections in both human and animal health markets is dependent on one drug, praziquantel. No new drugs have been developed since the 1970s and reliance on one drug presents a serious threat of emerging drug resistance.

The objective of this proposal is to optimize a novel chemical compound that Dr. Chan and collaborators have discovered, which cures parasitic flatworm infections. Development of new, antiparasitic drugs from this project will support the Wisconsin workforce both in the licensing and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, as well as benefiting the end users in the Wisconsin agricultural community.

The Regent Scholar program is coordinated by Arjun Sanga, President of WiSys, along with Dr. Adhira Sunkhara, Assistant Director for WiSys. WiSys is an independent, nonprofit-supporting organization for the UW System that advances scientific research throughout the state by patenting technologies developed out of the universities and licensing these inventions to companies capable of developing them to benefit Wisconsin and beyond.

(Via UW System)