Research

Research Interests

• Targeted Drug Delivery: We are interested in developing innovative approaches for targeted delivery of small-molecule drugs and biologics. For example, we use flash nanoprecipitation to make drug nanoparticles, combine siRNA-aptamer chimeras and charge-neutral endosomalytic agents for targeted siRNA delivery, and develop novel agents for transmembrane delivery of proteins.
• Nano Science and Engineering: We design and make functional materials and structures on the nanometer scale. Examples include multicolor quantum dots (Qdots) for fluorescence imaging, magnetic nanoparticles for magneto-endosomalytic therapy, metallic nanoparticles for ultrasensitive detection, and natural protein nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery.
• Molecular Diagnostics: It is well known that diseases such as cancer vary both genetically and phenotypically among patients who may have identical types and stages of cancer. Each person’s cancer is as unique as his or her fingerprint, which explains unpredictable responses to therapies and poses new technology challenges for tumor characterization on the molecular level. We combine nanotechnology and DNA technology for in situ quantitative profiling of tumor markers. In correlation with pathology, the results are expected to have impacts on accurate tumor characterization and differentiation as well as on molecular therapeutics.

Some lab equipment

	Two Olympus IX71 microscopes		Lightools mouse imaging system
	4C refrigerator		-20C refrigerator
	Eppendorf centrifuge		Beckman ultracentrifuge TLX-120
	Horiba Fluoromax4 fluorometer		UV-vis 2450pc spectrophotometer
	CRI Nuance hyperspectral imaging system 400-720nm		CRI Nuance hyperspectral imaging system 500-950nm
	Malvern Nanosizer ZS		Oceanoptics compact spectrometer
	Misonix Sonicator XL-2000		Stellarnet NIR portable spectrometer
	Biorad C1000 thermal Cycler		Two Chemyx syringe pumps
	GE AKTA FPLC		TECAN Infinite M200 plate reader