A man in lab coat injecting a solution in a chemistry station.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry News

The curriculum offered by the Department of Chemistry meets the needs of students who intend to pursue advanced training in the sciences, medicine, and other professional and technical fields. With chemistry being known as the "central science," our students establish a strong understanding in the composition, structure, and properties of matter, especially in chemical reaction.

Current Chemistry and Biochemistry News

Messenger RNA
Research |

51ԹϺ research team develops mRNA cocktail to intravenously and directly reach the pancreas, allowing for potentially revolutionary treatment options; lead researcher Chandra Bhattacharya becomes university's first to earn national award. 

two women using scientific instruments in radiochemistry lab
Research |

The program helps undergrads explore a rapidly growing industry in need of skilled workers.

Campus beauty.
Campus News |

A collection of the most prominent news stories from last month featuring 51ԹϺ staff and students.

Radioactive contents safely contained in David Hatchett's lab space.
Research |

How 51ԹϺ radiochemistry is pioneering the future of energy in the Southwest by salvaging strategic materials from nuclear dumps – and making it safe.

June campus horizon shot
Campus News |

The top headlines featuring 51ԹϺ’s staff and students.

Liuba Williams in a white lab coat and working in a lab
Research |

By making it easier to trace components used in detonations, Liuba Pauline Williams is helping prevent the spread of nuclear materials.

Chemistry and Biochemistry In The News

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

A research team at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas claims its latest discovery could eventually lead to curing pancreatic cancer and diabetes.

Science Mag

A groundbreaking development in mRNA delivery techniques has emerged from researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (51ԹϺ), promising to transform treatments for diseases related to the pancreas, including both diabetes and pancreatic cancer.

KSNV-TV: News 3

Scientists at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, have developed a groundbreaking method to reuse nuclear waste, a discovery that could potentially revolutionize the nuclear industry.

Las Vegas Sun

51ԹϺ researchers are on the cutting edge of techniques that can reduce the amount of waste left over from the process of creating nuclear fuel and weapons by rendering those toxic waste products both safe and useful.

Las Vegas Sun

51ԹϺ researchers are on the cutting edge of techniques that can reduce the amount of waste left over from the process of creating nuclear fuel and weapons by rendering those toxic waste products both safe and useful.

KVVU-TV: Fox 5

51ԹϺ researchers have learned nuclear waste could be reused as an energy source.

Chemistry and Biochemistry Experts

A medicinal chemist with expertise in mRNA, gene and drug delivery, and nanomedicine.
An expert in biochemistry.
An expert in research infrastructure, electrochemistry, chemistry, and radiochemistry.   
An expert in genetics and neurological diseases.

Recent Chemistry and Biochemistry Accomplishments

Łukasz Sznajder (Chemistry and Biochemistry) was featured in the article, “Neuromuscular Disease Research: Going Strong," published in the special 75th anniversary issue of Quest, which is dedicated to the unstoppable community the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) serves every day. MDA is the #1 voluntary health organization in the United…
Chandra Bhattacharya (Chemistry and Biochemistry) has been awarded a $1.88M Early Stage Investigator (ESI) R35 MIRA grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). This prestigious five-year award will support the Bhattacharya lab's research on developing innovative lipid nanoparticle platforms for targeted mRNA delivery -…
A recent study from Chandra Bhattacharya's (Chemistry and Biochemistry) laboratory developed a lipid nanoparticle platform that can deliver mRNA intravenously to the spleen with 99% selectivity. This work was published in Small, titled "Endogenous Corticosteroid Derived Lipid Nanoparticles (Cortico LNPs) Enable Selective mRNA Delivery to…
Radiochemistry Ph.D. candidate Becca Manns (Chemistry) is the recipient of a prestigious Rickover Fellowship from the South Carolina Universities Research and Education Foundation (SCUREF). The appointment, which begins Sept. 1, is offered to students in pursuit of graduate study and research supportive of the mission and goals of…
First-year radiochemistry Ph.D. student Colette Towles (Chemistry) was awarded a summer internship at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and was highlighted in a recent video published by SRNL. The working group at SRNL where Towles interned endeavors to determine the absorption properties of low activity radioactive waste using…
A recent study from Chandra Bhattacharya's (Chemistry and Biochemistry) laboratory developed a lipid nanoparticle platform that can deliver mRNA intravenously to the pancreas with an unprecedented 99% selectivity. This work was published in Advanced Materials, titled "Reengineering Endogenous Targeting Lipid Nanoparticles (ENDO) for…