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OXFORD, Miss. – The PhRMA Foundation has awarded University of Mississippi graduate student Kenneth Hulugalla its Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Delivery, which will support his research to develop new ways to get cancer-fighting medications to tumors.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Foundation offers up to $30,000 per year to students completing their doctoral degrees. Hulugalla, a fourth-year biomedical engineering doctoral candidate from Kandy, Sri Lanka, is the first Ole Miss student to receive the fellowship.
“The foundation looks for projects that could actually make it to clinics if they get the funding to do that,” Hulugalla said. “I really consider it a privilege to be awarded the fellowship because it’s reinforcement from people who brought impactful drugs into the market, and it’s rewarding to see that the work you’re doing matters.”
Thomas Werfel, associate professor of biomedical engineering, is Hulugalla’s research adviser and supported his application for the fellowship.
“This is a very competitive national fellowship, only given to a handful of graduate students working in the field of drug delivery each year,” he said. “Kenneth’s recognition as a PhRMA fellow is a major recognition of his talent, excellent work to date and potential to be a leader in this field of research.”
Hulugalla’s research focuses on delivering cancer medication directly to tumor cells in particularly aggressive cancers, such as triple-negative breast cancer. In 2024, Hulugalla and Werfel published research showing that nanoparticles coated in a sugar-like substance can more effectively deliver cancer-fighting medication.
“The first part of our research found that when we use these sugar molecules like glucose, they bypass immune system recognition, and they can make their way to the tumor,” he said. “But the problem that we encountered was that every human is so different.
“Based on your disease state, your age, your sex – a number of factors – the composition of proteins in each individual person’s body is going to be different. That also affects how the body reacts. If we’re making a one-size-fits-all carrier, that’s usually not the best solution.”
Hulugalla and Werfel are planning to collaborate with the University of Mississippi Medical Center and oncology clinics to use real patient serum – fluid in the blood that does not include blood cells or clotting proteins – to study different protein combinations. Their work could lead to cancer medication that is tailored to fit the person who needs it.
“This could be a major improvement because all trials to date have used a one-size-fits-all approach to choosing materials to deliver drugs to a set of patients,” Werfel said. “We believe that the variability between patients is one of the major reasons that the effectiveness of the materials varies so much.
“I believe Kenneth’s project was chosen because it does truly represent a paradigm shift in how materials are designed in a patient-specific manner to give the best possible chance of clinical success.”
Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. If the researchers can successfully find ways to address it, they could begin to use those strategies in other cancers, too.
“When people say, ‘We’re curing cancer,’ it’s really complicated, because it’s not one disease,” Hulugalla said. “It’s a multitude of different diseases, so it’s almost impossible to totally cure.
“What we’re hoping is that if we can find approaches that work well in really aggressive types of cancer, we can take those good things from that technology and apply them to other cancers.”
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Sri Lanka lost the equivalent of more than 120,000 full-time jobs in 2023 due to heat stress at workplaces, compared with the average annual level recorded during the 1985–2014 historical baseline, according to a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The report, titled Impacts of Heat Stress on Jobs and Productivity in Sri Lanka, estimated that rising temperatures also caused an additional economic loss of US$6.5 billion, in 2023, compared with the historical baseline.
The estimated job losses were calculated based on working hours lost due to heat stress, with agriculture accounting for the largest share at 48%, followed by services at 22%, manufacturing at 13%, construction at 11%, and transport and trade at 6%.
The ILO said 35% of the estimated job losses occurred during the second quarter of the year, when Sri Lanka experiences some of its most intense heat conditions.
Sri Lanka’s average temperature has risen by about 1°C since the 1960s, while rainfall patterns have become increasingly unpredictable, the report said.
Climate data from the past three decades also show an accelerating warming trend, with extreme temperature events becoming more frequent and intense.
The ILO warned that heat stress could have an increasingly severe impact on employment and productivity in the coming decades.
By 2040, Sri Lanka could lose the equivalent of between 145,000 and 221,000 full-time jobs, annually, due to heat stress, depending on global greenhouse gas emissions.
By 2060, annual losses could rise to between 158,000 and 349,000 full-time equivalent jobs. Under the highest-emissions scenario, the country’s annual economic output could be reduced by 15.2% compared with the historical baseline.
Agriculture and construction workers are particularly vulnerable because of their prolonged exposure to high temperatures and physically demanding work, the ILO said.
The report recommended regulated work-rest schedules, adequate access to drinking water, improved workplace ventilation, cooling measures and adjustments to working hours to protect workers and reduce productivity losses.
It stressed that urgent climate adaptation measures are needed to safeguard Sri Lanka’s workforce and strengthen the economy’s resilience to rising temperatures.
The Lawyers Collective of Sri Lanka has mourned the death of veteran lawyer and left-wing political activist Lal Wijenayake, describing his contribution to the country’s democratic and legal landscape as “immense” and enduring.
In a statement, the Lawyers Collective said Wijenayake was a founding member of Lawyers for Democracy, the organisation from which the Lawyers Collective later emerged.
Full text of the statement: The Lawyers Collective of Sri Lanka records with profound sadness the passing of Lal Wijenayake, a founding member of Lawyers for Democracy, the organisation from which the Lawyers Collective was later born. Throughout a long and principled career, he stood steadfastly in defence of the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, and the constitutional values that safeguard the rights of all people in Sri Lanka. Mr Wijenayake was part of a long established tradition in Sri Lanka, of lawyers who sought to establish, defend and advance human rights, rule of law and constitutionalism. He epitomised principled disagreement and social engagement even at a personal or professional cost. He gave of himself without reservation to the cause of justice and in doing so inspired generations of lawyers to place conscience and public duty above convenience. His contribution to Sri Lanka’s democratic and legal landscape is immense and will endure. The Lawyers Collective extends its deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues, and pledges to carry forward the values he fought so tirelessly to uphold.
Continue Reading News Funeral this evening for veteran leftist Lal Wijenayake Published
The final rites of senior lawyer and veteran left-wing political figure, Lal Wijenayake, will be held this evening (Monday) at 6.30 pm at the Mahaiyawa General Cemetery in Kandy.
Wijenayake, a member of the NPP National Operations Committee and Executive Council, passed away on Saturday evening.
A prominent figure in Sri Lanka’s left-wing political movement, Wijenayake served for several decades as a member of the Politburo of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). After leaving the LSSP, he played a leading role in establishing the United Left Front.
He was also the first Leader of the Opposition of the Central Provincial Council.
Wijenayake received his education at Dharmaraja College, Kandy, the University of Peradeniya’s Faculty of Science, and Sri Lanka Law College. He later established himself as a senior lawyer, with extensive knowledge of constitutional law.
Despite his long political career and failing health, Wijenayake remained actively engaged in political and social affairs until his final days.
Only last week, he led efforts to establish a Left Centre in Kandy. He also continued to participate as a speaker at political discussions and seminars, sharing his views on national political and constitutional crises.
A committed social activist and political intellectual, Wijenayake remained involved in public affairs for decades. He was the elder brother of the late Provincial Councillor Jagath Wijenayake.
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