Design of "Stealthier" Surface Coatings for Improved Particle Circulation and Adhesion

Blood Hemodynamics

Impact of Particulate Drug Carriers on Blood Cells:

Particle therapeutics injected intravenously encounter many different blood cell types during blood flow. However, the impact of different model particulate drug carriers on the behavior of cells, including leukocytes and platelets, has yet to be fully explored.

Lab Contacts: Alison Banka

Artificially Rigidified RBCs:

Deformability is a defining feature of red blood cells (RBCs). RBCs are forced to stretch, bend, and compress from fluidic stresses to travel and deliver oxygen throughout the body. By artificially introducing oxidative stresses, we are able to model and explore the dynamics of rigidified RBCs. This is relevant to better understanding the dynamics of sickle cell disorder. We aim to explore the interplay between different blood cells in blood flow under healthy and altered states.

Lab contacts: Logan Piegols, Alison Banka

Macrofluidic Devices:

             Blood is complex multiphase fluid that dynamically interacts with the vast and varying blood vessels of the human body. Leveraging advances in SLA printing technology, we aim to create to-life-scale models of human blood vessels to close the gap between in vitro flow dynamics and the in vivo reality. Better understanding of hemodynamics on many scales is integral to improving drug delivery efficacy and the treatment of arterial diseases. See pics below. Fluorescent image is of 2 micron FITC polystyrene particles. 

Design of Nanoparticle Loaded Hydrogels

Exploring Shape, Size, and Deformability via Novel Particle Formulation Techniques