Steinmetz engineers plant-virus-based nanomaterials for human and plant health applications. She repurposes plant viruses to yield nanoparticles that interface with the immune system for application as vaccines and immunotherapy. Her work has direct applications for preventing and treating cancer, cardiovascular disease, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections and autoimmune diseases; another direction is the application of these concepts toward improving plant health.
Liangfang Zhang invented a cell-membrane-coated nanoparticle platform for advanced drug and antigen delivery. By cloaking synthetic nano-carriers with plasma membranes derived directly from tumor cells or pathogens, these biomimetic nanoparticles function as multi-antigenic nanovaccines. The cell-mimicking nanoparticles have direct applications for a wide range of applications including preventing and treating cancer, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections and autoimmune diseases. Another direction is to use these biomimetic nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery or removal of harmful biological subjects.
The Bui lab is interested in elucidating how immune cells can be manipulated to control and intervene with tumor formation. His basic research uses both mouse models of cancer and samples from cancer patients. His lab has expertise in the immunophenotyping of immune subsets and in particular Bui participates in multiple clinical trials where patient samples are analyzed for immune cell numbers and activity.
The Carson laboratory studies autoimmune diseases and cancers of the lymphoid system. The goals are to delineate molecular differences between pathologic and normal tissues that can serve as targets for therapy.
The Chen lab develops 3D printing and bioprinting techniques for the manufacture of human tissues, functional implants, and delivery patches. Their bioprinting technique is 1000 times faster than a traditional extrusion-based 3D printing method. The lab also develops novel biomaterials for a variety of tissues such as heart, liver, spinal cord, tumor, muscle, and brain.
The Howell lab uses biochemical, molecular and genetic techniques to elucidate the mechanisms by which tumors become resistant to drugs, and then use this information to design new drugs and drug delivery systems to prevent or reverse resistance. They are interested in the mechanisms of resistance to the platinum-containing drugs (cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin) that are widely used for the treatment of many types of cancer.
The Pokorski lab integrates protein and polymer science to generate new materials for drug delivery, imaging, and vaccination. The team is at the forefront of efforts to bridge chemical synthesis, molecular biology, and materials science to make new materials for biomedical applications, in particular for delivery of vaccines and immunotherapies.
The Sailor lab synthesizes silicon-based nanomaterials and study their fundamental chemical, electrochemical, photophysical, and
nanomedical properties. They have a focus on mesoporous nanostructures, in particular porous silicon. The team has strong collaborations with medical doctors interested in
nanotechnology-enabled approaches to treat cancer, bacterial and viral infections, and diseases of the eye.
The Schoenberger laboratory’s current research is focused on achieving a mechanistic understanding of the generation and regulation of T cell responses in the context of in vivo infection and tumor development.
Shah develops polymeric biomaterials that can regulate molecular interactions at the nanoscale. His research focuses on understanding how these interactions can be used to guide the behavior of blood and immune cells in the body, with the aim of developing new therapeutic approaches for tissue repair, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Joseph Wang’s lab is developing micromotor and microneedle technologies that are being used to develop next-generation vaccine approaches that target immune systems.
Research focuses on molecular engineering for reprogramming and for cellular imaging. One strength is engineering of immune cells for cancer immunotherapy. This includes using biosensors to visualize and quantify molecular signals in live cells at the immune-tumor interface. The lab is also engineering remotely controllable molecular transducers to reprogram immune cell functions for therapeutics.
The Wang is interested in understanding the regulatory mechanisms underlying cell fate decision. They utilize a multi-scale approach that integrates computational and experimental investigation of epigenetic regulation from molecular level to genomic level then to systems level. The goals are to build computational and theoretical models to uncover fundamental principles that govern cell fate decision in development and cellular reprogramming and design strategies to intelligently manipulate cell state.