Research Areas
- Nanomaterials
- Drug and gene delivery
- Liver disease
- Gene editing
Scientific Achievements
- Developing lipid nanoparticle formulations for DNA and growth factor delivery to human fat cells to sustain TRPV1 expression
- Evaluating TRPV1 induction as potential anti-obesity therapeutics to reduce health burden of obesity and metabolic disease, especially among minority populations
- Collaboration with MPI at Howard University
Funding
- RCMI Funding: U24MD015970
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Other funding obtained with RCMI support:
- CPRIT UTEP/UTMACC Partnership for Hispanic Cancer Disparities: Identifying the Role of Liver Comorbidities on Cancer Nanomedicine Therapeutic Outcomes to Address Hispanic Cancer Disparities
- TRC4 Proof of Concept Research Award: Lipid Nanoparticle-Based Immunomodulation for Field-Deployable Sepsis Therapy in Combat Casualty Care
Scientific Advance
Development of Chemical Tags for Universal Lipid Nanoparticle Visualization and Tracking in 2D and 3D Imaging.
Published in Nano Letters, Volume 25, 2025, PMID: 40319395
Published in Nano Letters, Volume 25, 2025, PMID: 40319395
This study developed a new fluorescent peptide tag, SPARKLE, to track lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) in cells and tissues. Unlike traditional dyes that wash out when lipid structures are disrupted, SPARKLE tags stay attached to the LNPs, allowing researchers to follow their movement even during cell or tissue preparation. The team tested SPARKLE by using it to track LNPs in living cells and in tissue samples with advanced imaging techniques like 3D light-sheet microscopy. The results show that SPARKLE tags could help researchers better understand how LNPs behave inside the body, which is crucial for improving drug and gene therapies.
Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative (TRC4) TRC423-ECMR-00061, NIH/NIMHD #U54MD007592, NIH #C06OD032074
