Elizabeth City, N.C. — Two Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) professors have each been awarded grants of $25,000 by NC Innovation to advance projects focused on renewable energy and triple-negative breast cancer research, supporting efforts to move existing research toward real-world impact.
Abdennaceur Karoui, principal research scholar, and Hirendranath Banerjee, professor of natural sciences, were selected through ECSU’s Division of Academic Affairs competition funded by NC Innovation, an initiative designed to help university researchers develop technologies that address societal and market needs while accelerating the transition of research from the lab to industry.
Karoui’s project focuses on developing semi-transparent solar materials that could allow windows to generate electricity while remaining clear and visually comfortable. The research addresses a major challenge in renewable energy technology—as most traditional solar panels are not transparent and unsuitable for windows—while many transparent solar technologies face issues with efficiency, stability or light distortion.
According to the project abstract, the technology could help buildings generate their own power, reduce energy costs and support more sustainable cities by transforming windows into energy-producing surfaces.
Banerjee’s research centers on triple-negative breast cancer, or TNBC, an aggressive subtype that does not respond to hormone therapies because it tests negative for estrogen, progesterone and HER2. The project aims to further develop a novel inhibitor to help prevent TNBC progression and metastasis.
The abstract notes that TNBC accounts for approximately 10 to 15 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States, representing an estimated 30,000 to more than 40,000 new cases annually. The disease also disproportionately affects Black women in North Carolina.
Banerjee’s research explores the anticancer potential of yeast killer toxins, compounds produced by yeast species that have traditionally been studied for their antimicrobial properties. The project builds on findings from the Banerjee Lab showing that a killer peptide increased cancer cell death in laboratory studies involving TNBC, uterine and brain cancer cells, as well as in TNBC model mice.
Funding will support the development of a gold nanoparticle-conjugated killer peptide designed to improve delivery methods in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic. The project’s long-term goals include additional in vivo studies, pharmacokinetic and ADMET studies, and pursuing patent and FDA investigational new drug pathways.
ECSU’s NC Innovation funding competition supports applied research projects aimed at commercialization. Awards are designed to help faculty researchers develop technology, disseminate findings and pursue additional external funding opportunities.
With support from NC Innovation, the projects reflect ECSU’s continued investment in research designed to address real-world challenges while expanding opportunities for discovery.