Nina Erwin, a fourth-year graduate student in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutics, was named a 2025 recipient of the UF Health Cancer Center Predoctoral Award.
The award, which is bestowed annually to up to six graduate students, recognizes and supports predoctoral candidates conducting innovative cancer research with a $10,000 gift for lab supplies and travel expenses. Erwin, whose research project is titled “Enhanced Extracellular Vesicle Loading and Functionalization for Oncological Therapeutic Development,” said this award serves as a motivating force for her to continue advancing cancer research.
“I am determined to make the most of this amazing opportunity and meaningfully contribute to advancements in the field. The award has inspired me to continue striving to make significant impacts through my work,” Erwin said. “I am deeply grateful for this recognition and greatly appreciate the unwavering support from everyone throughout my journey, especially my collaborators and lab members. This achievement is a reflection of the collective effort and commitment of our entire team.”
Under the tutelage of Mei He, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmaceutics, Erwin aims to engineer extracellular vesicles, or EVs, as therapeutic carriers of cancer treatments.
“My research has the potential to improve EV-mediated immunoregulation, allowing EVs to be used as a novel method for large-scale therapeutic applications in cancer. By maximizing EVs’ potential therapeutic effect, improved cancer therapy for patients can be achieved,” she explained.
After Erwin graduates from the UF College of Pharmacy, she intends to pursue a career as a translational research and development scientist in the field of biomedicine and cancer immunology, where she can apply both her skills and passions toward creating impactful solutions for patients.
“I wish to discover new, innovative solutions that will progress knowledge and impact the community, specifically through contemporary advancements in anti-cancer therapeutic approaches,” Erwin said. “In my future career, I aspire to investigate novel and translational research problems that help shape and improve human health. I aim to conduct research that develops cutting-edge, innovative solutions that advance cancer research and knowledge in the scientific community.”
Erwin was recognized, along with the other award winners, at the UF Health Cancer Center Research Showcase on Feb. 12 at the UF Reitz Union.