Saloni Darji is conducting research about layer-by-layer elastin-like polypeptide nucleic acid nanoparticle (LENN), providing an alternative to current lipid nanoparticle delivery systems which must be stored as liquids below minus 45 degrees Celsius. The primary goal of this technology is the targeted delivery of genetic material to cancer cells, with current work on bladder cancer.
As Saloni Darji passes the midpoint of the Purdue Innovates’ Commercialization Fellowship program, she is seeing significant momentum around her technology, from customer interest to new funding opportunities and even a broader vision for its future.
Darji said one of the program’s earliest milestones was showcasing the technology at the Purdue Innovates Startup & Technology Expo, where it attracted strong interest from attendees. Since then, she has submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation’s Technology Translation Program and continued refining the technology through the fellowship.
Faculty Advisors: David Thompson
The fellowship has prompted a major shift in how we’ve approached the next set of studies and how we think about the technology. We don’t have to be restricted to one field of use and that opens a world of opportunity to how this technology could reach even more people.
Perhaps the biggest shift has been in how she and her team think about the technology’s long-term potential. Initially focused on a single application in bladder cancer therapy, conversations with customers and stakeholders have revealed opportunities far beyond that original use case. That broader perspective is shaping the team’s next phase of research and helping guide future customer discovery efforts.
Looking ahead, Darji plans to balance continued technical development with renewed outreach to potential collaborators and industry partners, building awareness and identifying future partnership opportunities that could help accelerate the technology’s path to impact.
Visit the Purdue Innovates website to learn more about the Commercialization Fellowship.
Media contact: Polly Barks, phbarks@prf.org
