Speakers

The basic question that drives Mooney's research is: how do mammalian cells receive information from the materials in their environment.

By utilizing the tools of cell and molecular biology, he studies the mechanisms by which chemical (for example, specific cell adhesion molecules) or mechanical signals (for example, cyclic strain) are sensed by cells and alter their proliferation and specialization to either promote tissue growth or destruction.

Mooney uses the results from these studies to design and synthesize new biomaterials that regulate the gene expression of interacting cells for a variety of tissue engineering and drug delivery projects. Current projects focus on therapeutic angiogenesis, regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues, and cancer therapies.

Steven Powell, MD, is a practicing medical oncologist and a physician scientist. His laboratory focuses on integrating novel immunotherapies into the management of head and neck cancer and concurrently developing predictive biomarkers. His primary goal is to comprehend how to best incorporate immunotherapy into the management of locally advanced and metastatic head and neck cancer.

Dr. Powell’s research has led to novel strategies to use immune checkpoint inhibitors in combination with chemotherapy and radiation to augment anti-tumor response. Additionally, his work has evaluated biomarkers of immune response. As a clinician, Dr. Powell seeks to bring what he finds in the lab to clinical trials, to directly impact patient care.

Dr. Sanku Mallik is currently an Associate Professor of pharmaceutical sciences at North Dakota State University. Dr. Mallik obtained his bachelors in chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology and went on to receive his Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in organic chemistry. He then went on to do his post-doctoral at California Institute of Technology in the field of Bio-organic chemistry. Afterwards, he served as Assistant Professor at both University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University.

Dr. Mallik's current research projects focus on 1) design of isozyme-selective inhibitors for matrix metalloproteinase-9, 2) fabrication of hybrid liposomes with triple-helical collagen peptides for targeting MMP-9, and 3) development of chemical receptors for proteins based on polymerized liposomes.