A chemistry student at Carnegie Mellon University, Nivedita Shyamsundar, made a significant discovery regarding nanoparticle formation while working in Jill Millstone’s lab at the University of Pittsburgh. Traditional lab tools struggled to track rapid reactions in nanoparticle creation, only capturing the final stages. However, Shyamsundar utilized her iPhone to record a reaction, noting changes in color as particles formed. She then developed a video-analysis program that enables researchers to monitor these processes using cameras they already have.
Her findings revealed that nanoparticles form not through the sequential addition of single metal atoms, but rather through clusters of metal atoms coalescing. Currently, Shyamsundar is investigating how these nanoparticles can improve cancer treatment by targeting drug delivery specifically to tumor sites, minimizing damage to healthy cells. She aims to create particles that react to the acidic environment around tumors, releasing drugs only at those locations.
With experience from an internship at Moderna, where she studied lipid nanoparticle formation for vaccines, Shyamsundar plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry after graduating in spring 2027.
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