Boise State puts research on display | Idaho Economy | Idaho Statesman
Henry Charlier was in the sixth grade as he watched his uncle’s melanoma turn into brain cancer and take his life.
Three decades later, the assistant professor in chemistry and biochemistry at Boise State University is steeped in finding ways to focus chemotherapy drugs on killing cancer cells, not harming patients.
He knows of at least one enzyme in the human body that neutralizes some chemotherapy drugs into substances that don’t kill cancer cells and are poisonous to the heart. “The goal of our research is to take this guy out,” he said.
Charlier was among several BSU professors who talked Thursday about their research with residents and industry.
Boist State does a good job of turning money into research, said Mark Rudin, the university’s vice president for research. “We are not so good at translating the research into money.”
The university received about $50 million for research projects in 2010.
Moving research off a college campus and into commercial production lines can be difficult, said Jay Larsen, president of the Idaho Technology Council. The council is in the infant stages of developing a program to look at ways to help schools bring their research to the rest of the world.
Business leaders heard from a variety of professors.
• Sensor: Dale Russell, a professor in chemistry and biochemistry, is working on a probe that can be used to detect a number of chemicals, such as arsenic and mercury.
The probe, which can be microscopic, can be made for about $1, a fraction of the cost of many other detecting devices, Russell said.
Russell developed the probe in 2002 and is looking for support to carry the device beyond the research lab. So far, however, Russell said most interest has come from people who want a complete product, including controls and packaging.
• Stretchable solids: Peter Mullner, a Boise State professor in materials science, is working on a substance that includes nickel and gallium that is solid but can be elongated. The substance could be used to help drive tiny pumps, he said.
Bill Roberts: 377-6408
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