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The overarching goal of our laboratory is to promote healthy aging through the innovative creation of drug delivery strategies that maximize the efficacies of biotherapeutics to slow down or stop the progression of degenerative diseases. By leveraging tools of organic chemistry, materials chemistry, micro/nano/macro fabrication, and understanding of tissue/cell-material interactions, we will focus on the delivery of gene therapies toward neurological disorders 

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Nanoparticle-mediated brain mapping for precision gene therapy

 

Most disease-modifying treatments for central nervous system (CNS) diseases failed to make it to the market due to poor penetration across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and side effects. Here we aim to establish the structure-property relationship of nanoparticles in terms of neural cell interactions, brain tissue penetration, and spatial distribution within the brain parenchyma, providing a toolbox for targeted delivery towards pathological regions of the brain, which will be broadly applicable for CNS diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease or Parkinson's disease.

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Gene therapy to modulate neuroinflammation

Maintaining homeostasis between pro- and anti-inflammatory responses is critical for protecting the brain from the onset of degenerative diseases. Here we are interested in the development of gene therapies for cell-specific reprogramming from pro-inflammatory type to anti-inflammatory type to modulate neuroinflammation, which has been associated with traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.

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Long-acting delivery of biologics for chronic disease

The requirement of frequent administration often negatively affects patient compliance and presents a huge barrier to effective therapy for chronic disease. However, long-acting formulations for biologics have not been successful because they are prone to denaturation during processing conditions. Here we will innovate the material design to deliver biologics at a programmed release rate over a prolonged period, which has a high potential to change the current landscape for the treatment of chronic diseases such as Asthma, diabetes, or arthritis.

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