Research | Nanomedicine & Molecular Bioengineering Laboratory

Targeting Vascular Dysfunction

Vascular dysfunction is a central driver of many serious diseases, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders. Disruption of vascular homeostasis can impair blood flow, compromise barrier function, promote inflammation, and ultimately contribute to tissue injury and disease progression. Despite major advances in biomedical research, significant challenges remain in effectively diagnosing and treating diseases rooted in vascular dysfunction. One important barrier is the safe and targeted delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents to diseased tissues. Our research aims to address this challenge by developing biomaterials-based and nanoscale platforms that enable more precise targeting, diagnosis, and treatment of vascular disease.

Scientist is modifying genes in RNA of virus in laboratory. Biology and viral genetics concept.

Biomimetic Delivery

Our laboratory develops biomimetic delivery strategies, including cell membrane cloaking, to harness the intrinsic biological properties of source cells for targeted nanocarrier design. These innovative platforms enable the precise delivery of chemical inhibitors and nucleic acid therapeutics to diseased vasculature. By concentrating therapeutic action at vascular lesions, our lesion-targeted nanomedicines can suppress pathogenic inflammatory events at their source, thereby enhancing treatment efficacy while minimizing unwanted effects on healthy organs.

Nanomedicine Development

Our laboratory engineers monocyte-mimetic nanoparticles to improve the treatment and diagnosis of inflammatory and vascular-associated diseases, including atherosclerosis, cancer, and neurological disorders. By harnessing key biological features of monocytes, these biomimetic nanoparticles are designed to selectively engage diseased tissues and enhance the delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents to sites of pathology. We study their performance in a range of preclinical models, including animal models and human tissue-on-a-chip platforms, to better understand their targeting, transport, and functional effects in disease-relevant settings.