Project Updates
Bad quality cancer drugs withdrawn from markets in Peru
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports that:
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Failing regulatory systems means Peru has repeatedly bought drugs that
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A way to detect lead in dust without an expensive trip to the lab: painter's tape method
When buildings are being assessed for the presence of lead-based paint, inspectors bring a portable X-ray fluorimeter to test different painted surfaces. However, there usually is not enough lead in the dust for the instrument to detect it directly, so inspectors must collect dust samples and send…
Manny Uzobuife awarded 2026 Marshall Scholarship
Congratuations to UG research student Manny, who received a prestigious Marshall scholarship to study pharmacology at Liverpool University in the UK next year.
The cost of cancer medicines in sub-Saharan Africa is prohibitive for many patients
The UNC team of health economists and pharmacists assessed the cost and availability of cancer medicines used to treat three common types of cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. Costs often exceeded the yearly income of a government worker, and frequent stockouts in the public health systems drive patients…
PAD project wins 2025 Trinity Challenge
The Trinity Challenge on Community Access to Effective Antibiotics is seeking innovative, low-cost data and technology solutions in LMICs that address:
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Lack of stock control at the sub-national/local level in community settings.
AND/OR
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ChemoPAD collaborator Prof. Sachiko Ozawa is appointed as technical expert on African Working Group on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products
Dr. Sachiko Ozawa was appointed to serve as an Expert on the African Working Group on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products for the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD). Congratulations to Sachi, we are sure her experience will benefit this working group!
ChemoPAD team's Lancet Global Health paper is out!
Congratulations to Dr. Alyssa Wicks!
Alyssa Wicks defended her PhD dissertation on March 31 and is now ready for her next adventure!
Alyssa worked as part of a large, interdisciplinary team to validate lead screening kits against the "gold standard" of home lead risk assessment with portable XRF. Her paper describing the kit…
Congratulations to Hiru Fernando for her prize in the 3MT competition!
“Drug Trash to Treasure”
Adviser: Marya Lieberman, Ph.D.
2nd Place Winner: $2,000
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the year 2021, the annual number of drug-related overdose deaths in the…
American Chemical Society selects Marya Lieberman for 2025 Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest
NATIONAL AWARD FOR CHEMISTRY IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST HONORS DRUG SAFETY PIONEER
MARYA LIEBERMAN IS BEING RECOGNIZED FOR HER DEVELOPMENT OF PAPER ANALYTICAL DEVICES (PADs) IMPACTING DRUG SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD
Cambridge, MA -- January 22, 2025…
Congratulations to Hirudini Fernando in 3-minute thesis competition!
In her three-minute talk, Hiru explained how she turns drug trash into a treasure of information about the composition of the street drug supply in several communities. She explained how this information can save lives. Hiru came in second out of all the participants from UND and won $2,000!
Kit validation paper is out
"Validation of a low-cost lead hazard screening kit for the home environment" is now published. Congratulations to Alyssa, Ornella, Jocelyn, Angela, Marya, Graham, Matthew, Gabe, and Heidi! …
Congratulations to Dr. Olatunde Awotunde!
Ola defended his PhD dissertation 29 March, 2024, and is now joining Abbvie Pharmaceuticals in Chicago, IL as a Research Scientist. Congratulations to Dr. Awotunde!
Fentanyl test strip quality monitoring program launched
Not all fentanyl test strips are the same, and the differences between different brands and even different batches of the same brand matter a lot when you're trying to detect lethal fentanyl levels in street drugs. Published 15 June 2024 in Harm Reduction Journal, the recent commentary, "An…
Fentanyl test strips have "blind spots" for detection of fentanyl analogs--Kat's paper is now published!
Fentanyl test strips are an important tool for detecting opioids that can cause fatal overdoses.
By testing over 200 fentanyl analogs with two brands of fentanyl test strips (FTS), Kathleen Hayes found that the test strips can detect many, but not all, fentanyl analogs. The types of analogs…
Global problems with chemotherapy drug quality require global solutions; we think PADs can play a role
Reporting from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism features the chemoPAD project; chemoPAD team members Dr. Paul Ndom, Prof. Marya Lieberman, and Prof. Ayenew Ashenef are quoted…
Congratulations to Dr. Kathleen Hayes!
June 22, 2023--After defending her dissertation, "Methods for Pharmaceutical and Illicit Drug Analysis," Kathleen Hayes is now a PhD and will move on to Abbvie as a medical writer. Good luck Kat, we will miss you!
…Congratulations to Naxos Neighbors and Marya Lieberman, winners of ND Lucy Institute's $51,000 Next Changemaker Prize
Joanne Cogdell, CEO of harm reduction organization Naxos Neighbors, and her collaborator Marya Lieberman, University of Notre Dame, were awarded the 2023 Next Changemaker Award from the Lucy Institute for Data and Society. The award of $51,000 will support our efforts to find emerging hazards in street…
Lieberman group attends first Scientific Meeting for ChemoPAD project in Ethiopia
The goal of the ChemoPAD project is to use paper analytical devices to screen the quality of chemotherapy drugs in sub-Saharan Africa. The team includes collaborators from seven institutions and five countries.
- US: University of Notre Dame and University of North Carolina,
- Ethiopia: …