LSU Engineering Researchers Secure $5.5M in NIH Funding for Breakthrough Work in Cancer, Medical Imaging and Mental Health Technology
June 04, 2026
LSU Engineering faculty have secured major funding from the National Institutes of Health to advance transformative research in cancer biology, medical imaging and mental health technology, highlighting the university鈥檚 growing national research impact across engineering, biomedical science and digital health.
The newly funded projects, totaling more than $5.5 million in NIH support, span disciplines ranging from cancer therapeutics and MRI imaging to virtual reality-based behavioral interventions for ADHD.
Decoding Drug-Resistant Cancer Through Spatial Lipidomics
LSU Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Manas Gartia
LSU Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Manas Gartia received a five-year NIH Maximizing Investigators鈥� Research Award (MIRA) R35 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences totaling approximately $1.875 million for a project titled 鈥淪patial Lipidomics to Decode Drug-Resistant Cancer Cell Death.鈥�
Drug resistance remains one of the leading causes of cancer recurrence, with growing evidence pointing to dysregulated lipid metabolism as a major driver not only in cancer, but also in diseases such as sepsis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and neurodegeneration.
Gartia鈥檚 lab is developing advanced spatial Raman imaging techniques capable of mapping lipid distributions and chemical modifications at single-cell resolution while preserving their location within cellular structures. Traditional lipid analysis methods such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry require samples to be homogenized, eliminating critical spatial information.
The research focuses on ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of cell death that may help resensitize drug-resistant cancer cells to chemotherapy. The project will move from two-dimensional and three-dimensional cell culture models into in vivo validation studies.
Gartia hopes the work will produce both a powerful new spatially resolved multi-omics platform and broader insights into disease progression mechanisms that extend beyond oncology.
Developing Safer Metal-Free MRI Contrast Agents
LSU Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Jimmy Lawrence observes one of his students.
LSU Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Jimmy Lawrence also received an NIH MIRA R35 award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences totaling approximately $1.875 million for research focused on safer MRI contrast technologies.
Current gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents can pose serious health risks, including metal accumulation in the body, hypersensitivity reactions and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. These risks limit their use in patients with kidney disease, pregnant women and children.
Lawrence鈥檚 lab is designing metal-free fluorine-19 MRI contrast agents using precisely engineered bottlebrush polymers with perfectly uniform molecular structures. The polymers contain alternating fluorinated groups, which generate a highly specific MRI signal, and water solubilizing functional groups that improve water solubility and biocompatibility.
A major challenge lies in achieving perfect molecular uniformity 鈥� known as dispersity of 1.0 鈥� because variations in polymer size can broaden MRI signals and reduce diagnostic performance.
If successful, the technology could expand access to contrast-enhanced MRI for millions of patients currently unable to safely receive conventional contrast agents while also creating new opportunities for targeted molecular imaging and sensing applications.
Using Virtual Reality to Expand ADHD Behavioral Therapy
LSU Computer Science Associate Professor David C. Shepherd
LSU Computer Science Associate Professor David C. Shepherd is leading the virtual reality engineering and systems development component of an approximately $1.8 million NIH-funded collaborative project with Rutgers University focused on improving behavioral treatment access for children with ADHD.
Funded through an NIH National Institute of Mental Health R61/R33 award, the project aims to create a scalable virtual reality platform that automates key components of behavioral therapy without requiring continuous clinician oversight.
The VR system places students inside a structured virtual environment that monitors attention and on-task behavior in real time using keyboard and mouse interaction data. Students receive immediate visual feedback through a green-yellow-red system paired with automated reinforcement strategies designed to improve focus and task completion.
The project successfully completed its initial R61 feasibility phase, which included algorithm development, feedback system refinement and a small, randomized trial. Following NIH milestone review approval, the team has now entered the larger R33 clinical trial phase involving 252 participants across multiple intervention groups over an eight-week treatment period.
Shepherd leads LSU鈥檚 contributions involving VR engineering, behavioral monitoring algorithms and systems integration.
Expanding LSU鈥檚 National Research Impact
Together, the projects reflect LSU鈥檚 growing strength in interdisciplinary research that combines engineering, medicine, chemistry, computing and translational science to address major public health challenges.
From advancing cancer treatment and diagnostic imaging to developing technology-assisted behavioral therapies, LSU researchers are creating innovative tools with the potential to improve patient care and expand healthcare access nationwide.
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