“Engineering the Bio/Nano Interface for Enhanced Nano-Immunotherapy”
Hosted by the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME)
Abstract: Self-assembled nanobiomaterials that are engineered to achieve specific biodistributions and mechanisms of degradation hold great promise for controlled stimulation of the immune system. Taking advantage of the morphological flexibility of self-assembled systems, we aim to mimic various structures and biochemical mechanisms of pathogens to enhance cell-selective intracellular delivery and treatment efficacy during immunotherapy. We specifically approach this by synthesizing, assembling and optimizing in vitro and in vivo a range of nanostructures loaded with strategically selected combinations of immunostimulants to achieve controlled activation or suppression of the immune system. Here, I will present some of our ongoing work in the area of novel nanobiomaterials development and interactions at the bio/nano interface, as well as recent applications of our materials for the controlled modulation of cells for a variety of therapeutic applications, including cell/organ transplantation, vaccination, and treatment of atherosclerosis, glaucoma and infectious diseases.
Bio: Evan Scott, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering & Microbiology-Immunology within the Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and Feinberg School of Medicine. He respectively received a B.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University in 2002 and Washington University in St. Louis in 2009. As a Whitaker International Scholar, he spent four years in Switzerland at the EPFL performing postdoctoral research in the laboratories of Prof. Jeffrey Hubbell and Prof. Melody Swartz. Dr. Scott is a recipient of the 2015 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, the 2015 National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the 2014 American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant. He was selected as a 2017 BMES Young Innovator of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering, 2018 Nano Research Young Innovator in Nanobiotechnology, 2018 American Society for Engineering Education PRISM 20 under 40, National Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering 2018 speaker, 2019 Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator, and 2019 Halo 40 under 40 Chicago Scientist.
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