Principal Investigator

My research interests at MGH and HMS center around understanding in vivo transport and nano-bio interactions of theranostic nanoparticles (NPs) for diagnosing, staging, and treating diseases. I have a diverse background in nanomedicine, drug delivery, and optical imaging, and I have consistently contributed original, mechanism-driven concepts that advance the translational potential of nanotechnologies in biomedicine. As a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, working with collaborator Dr. Jean-Luc Coll (Program Director of Cancer Targets and Experimental Therapeutics) at the University of Grenoble-Alpes (France), we developed renal-clearable organic nanocarriers for targeting and delivering drugs to gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Our work systematically defined critical physicochemical design parameters, including hydrodynamic diameter, surface charge, mass-to-charge ratio, and elimination kinetics, that govern renal clearance of nanoparticles. These findings, published in top-ranked materials chemistry journals (Advanced Materials, 2016 and 2020, Nano Today, 2018), have had a substantial impact on the rational design of biocompatible nanocarriers for anticancer drug delivery. After joining MGH as a faculty member, I expanded this framework to investigate the interplay between nanoparticle size, charge, lipophilicity, and pharmacokinetics in the context of iron chelation therapy. This work led to the development of ultrasmall iron nanochelators that efficiently capture excess iron while avoiding off-target tissue accumulation, thereby enabling rapid urinary excretion (Nature Communications, 2019). These nanochelators exhibit deep tissue penetration, strong affinity for free iron in blood and tissues, and fast elimination without secondary redistribution, establishing a new paradigm for safe and effective metal chelation therapy.

In recent work, I proposed a novel tumor-targeting strategy based on immune-cell-mediated accumulation within the tumor microenvironment. This approach, reported in Advanced Materials (2022), demonstrates that near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores are selectively taken up by bone-marrow-derived and tissue-resident tumor-associated immune cells, enabling noninvasive NIR-II imaging and immune-cell-mediated tumor targeting across multiple tumor types, including pancreatic, breast, and lung cancers. This concept establishes a new class of immune-guided theranostic platforms with broad translational potential in oncology. In parallel, we reported the development of a cartilage-targeting near-infrared fluorophore for noninvasive imaging of early-stage rheumatoid arthritis (Chem, 2025). This work introduces cartilage-affinitive fluorophores operating in the second near-infrared window, enabling high-contrast visualization of cartilage with minimal background interference. These probes demonstrate low toxicity and strong translational promise as diagnostic tools for early arthritis, with future applications in tissue engineering, joint surgery, and therapeutic development for inflammatory diseases.

To date, I have published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers, reflecting a sustained record of high-impact, internationally recognized contributions to nanomedicine, optical imaging, and translational biomedical research. My overarching goal is to establish globally leading nanoplatforms that bridge fundamental nano-bio interactions with clinical decision-making and precision therapy.