AAI-CCI-MHI Seminar on CPS

Speaker: Joerg Lahann, Professor University of Michigan

Talk Title: Protein Nanoparticles as multifunctional drug delivery carriers

Series: EE598 Seminar Series

Abstract: Precise control of the physical and biochemical properties of nanoparticle-based drug delivery vehicles is a
prerequisite for effective transport of drugs across a range of biological barriers. To date, the range of biodegradable
macromolecular systems with appropriate biocompatibility, low levels of immunogenicity and extended structural stability
that can be prepared at scale remains rather limited. Towards that end, nanoparticles comprised of protein/polymer
conjugates offer a range of unique features, such as biodegradability and extended in vivo stability, active targeting and
stimuli-responsiveness, or the potential for delivery of small-molecule drugs and biopharmaceuticals.
Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) co-jetting, an adaptive manufacturing process that involves transferring two or more
capillary needles in a side-by-side configuration, can be used to create a wide range of multicompartmental protein/
polymer nanoparticles. The protein nanoparticles combine the processability of synthetic polymers with the biological
properties of proteins. In the context of glioblastoma multiforme, protein nanoparticles have been devised that enable
systemic delivery of RNAi to intracranial brain tumors. Protein nanoparticles that can enable controlled release of
combination drugs from the same nanoparticle will also be discussed

Biography: Joerg Lahann is the Wolfgang Pauli Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering. Since 2012, he has been the
founding director of the University of Michigan Biointerfaces Institute. Prof. Lahann is a co-author of more than 325
publications including papers in Science, Nature Materials, Nature Biotechnology, or PNAS and has contributed to 50
patents and patent applications. He is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the American
Association for the Advancement of the Sciences (AAAS), and the American Institute for Medical and Biological
Engineering (AIMBE). He has been selected by Technology Review as one of the top 100 young investigators and the
recipient of the 2007 Nanoscale Science and Engineering Award, a NSF-CAREER award, and both a single-PI and a
team Idea award (2006 & 2011) from the US Department of Defense. Prof. Lahann has contributed to the development
of 3D printing methods for ultraporous, precisely engineered organoids, multicompartmental nanoparticles for drug
delivery applications, and vapor-based polymer coatings.

Host: Paul Bogdan

Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Ariana Perez