Xiuling Lu, a professor of pharmaceutics and associate director of Kildsig Center for Pharmaceutical Processing Research at the University of Connecticut, received the Women of Innovation Award for research innovation and leadership from the Connecticut Technology Council, according to a UConn Today article. This award honors Lu’s work in nanoparticles, drug delivery mechanisms and research into treating cancer.
The Connecticut Technology Council holds the Women of Innovation Awards annually, which has been occurring for nearly 20 years, according to the council’s website. The awards recognize “Innovation and Leadership in Academia, Community, Corporate, Entrepreneurship, and Research,” and awards youth scholarships, according to the website.
Lu was nominated for the award by José Manautou, the head of the department of pharmaceutical sciences. Lu was nominated alongside nearly 100 other women in Connecticut and became one of 45 finalists. She was selected as the winner of the Research Innovation and Leadership category, alongside nine other women who won in other categories.
In an interview with the Daily Campus, Lu spoke about her feelings on winning the award.
“It’s definitely exciting and I appreciate the recognition for sure, but any recognition is just a milestone – well, I don’t even know if it’s a milestone… I don’t really use that as something, I just keep doing [research] and reaching our goal,” Lu said. “The goal is not to get the reward; the goal is to get something meaningful to treat cancers and save people and improve patient’s or people’s health.”
Lu talked about her role models that encouraged her to pursue this work.
“All the way back to about 10 years ago, my department had a person who got an award. Unfortunately, she passed away… she was excellent, she was an outstanding researcher and scientist and teacher, so just because of her I feel like it’s a great role model… It’s encouragement for me to [find] the best way to treat cancer for sure,” Lu said.
Manautou talked about Lu and her accomplishments in the UConn Today article.
“Xiuling Lu exemplifies the spirit of innovation and mentorship that defines our school and institution,” said Manautou. “Her groundbreaking work in nanoparticle-based therapeutics not only advances treatment possibilities for difficult-to-treat cancers but also inspires a new generation of researchers. Her dedication to scientific discovery and her commitment to empowering students through hands-on mentorship make her a deserving recipient of the CT Women of Innovation Award.”
According to the UConn Today article, Lu’s research involves “nanoparticle-based drug delivery platforms for improving therapeutic indices of anti-cancer agents, image-guided drug delivery for optimizing cancer diagnosis and therapy, and neutron-activatable nanoparticles for radionuclide therapy.”