Welcome to the home page of Use-Inspired Biomaterials and Integrated Nano Delivery (U-BiND) Systems Laboratory.
Our research is broadly focused on developing use-inspired nano-medical technologies aimed towards clinical translation using biocompatible delivery systems that have enhanced disease targeting with reduced toxicity burden to patients.
Featured Projects
Project 1: Reagent free 'Click' Chemistry designed Tumor Multicomponent Targeting Assemblies
Developing reagent free click chemistry based ligands and nano-libraries to target multi-components of tumors for therapy and diagnosis. Towards this end, we are tailoring macromolecules of various size, shape, and composition that can target major components of tumor microenvironment such as tumor epithelial cells, angiogenic blood vessel, hypoxia, stroma and infiltrating immune cells. (Drug Discovery Today, 2017)
Developing reagent free click chemistry based ligands and nano-libraries to target multi-components of tumors for therapy and diagnosis. Towards this end, we are tailoring macromolecules of various size, shape, and composition that can target major components of tumor microenvironment such as tumor epithelial cells, angiogenic blood vessel, hypoxia, stroma and infiltrating immune cells. (Drug Discovery Today, 2017)
Project 2: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Antibody-Drug Conjugates
Solid tumors are highly refractory to conventional chemotherapy. The survival of tumors is assisted by checkpoint immune-modulation that evade the immune surveillance to tumor environment. Check point antibody inhibitors, such as anti-PD-1/PD-L1 are a novel class of inhibitors that resurrect the immune cell function, resulting killing of tumor cell. The checkpoint blockers are rapidly becoming a highly promising cancer therapeutic approach that yields remarkable anti-tumor responses with limited side effects. Unfortunately, in clinic PD-1 inhibitors are not very successful for pancreatic cancer (PDAC) that is attributed to inaccessible of T-cells and NK-cells through tumor stromal barrier. In order to break the tumor stroma and deliver PD-1 into the tumor core, we are working on stroma-disrupting antibody-conjugates and the preliminary data supports this hypothesis. (Frontier in Pharmacology, 2017).
Solid tumors are highly refractory to conventional chemotherapy. The survival of tumors is assisted by checkpoint immune-modulation that evade the immune surveillance to tumor environment. Check point antibody inhibitors, such as anti-PD-1/PD-L1 are a novel class of inhibitors that resurrect the immune cell function, resulting killing of tumor cell. The checkpoint blockers are rapidly becoming a highly promising cancer therapeutic approach that yields remarkable anti-tumor responses with limited side effects. Unfortunately, in clinic PD-1 inhibitors are not very successful for pancreatic cancer (PDAC) that is attributed to inaccessible of T-cells and NK-cells through tumor stromal barrier. In order to break the tumor stroma and deliver PD-1 into the tumor core, we are working on stroma-disrupting antibody-conjugates and the preliminary data supports this hypothesis. (Frontier in Pharmacology, 2017).
Project 3: Multi-functional nanocarriers for Theranostics
Development of multi-functional theranostic nanocarriers which can be used as MR imaging contrast agents as well as tumor homing carrier to deliver anticancer drugs specifically to cancer cells. The nano-carrier is composed of Super-Paramagnetic Iron Oxide (Fe3O4) Nanoparticles (SPIONs) – an excellent and bio-compatible MR contrast agent, decorated with 4.0 generation polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM G4) which is a hyper-branched, nano-sized carrier with hydrophobic inner core to encapsulate poorly water-soluble compounds. Having hydrophilic reactive amine groups on the surface, PAMAM G4 can be conjugated with different targeting ligands such as folic acid (FA) to target folate receptor over-expressing cancers. (Biomacromolecules, 2017, 18 (4), pp 1197–1209)
Development of multi-functional theranostic nanocarriers which can be used as MR imaging contrast agents as well as tumor homing carrier to deliver anticancer drugs specifically to cancer cells. The nano-carrier is composed of Super-Paramagnetic Iron Oxide (Fe3O4) Nanoparticles (SPIONs) – an excellent and bio-compatible MR contrast agent, decorated with 4.0 generation polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM G4) which is a hyper-branched, nano-sized carrier with hydrophobic inner core to encapsulate poorly water-soluble compounds. Having hydrophilic reactive amine groups on the surface, PAMAM G4 can be conjugated with different targeting ligands such as folic acid (FA) to target folate receptor over-expressing cancers. (Biomacromolecules, 2017, 18 (4), pp 1197–1209)
Project 4: Lipid and albumin based nanoparticles.
Lipid and albumin based bio-conjugates are very useful for targeted drug delivery because of their inert nature. It is well established that albumin is one of the most abundant protein in human body. Using albumin as carrier is a brilliant strategy because albumin itself is non-toxic and non-immunogenic. Currently, there are FDA approved albumin bound drugs in market such as Abraxane®. Our lab is focusing on using lipid and albumin as carriers of anticancer agents (Oncotarget, 2017).
Lipid and albumin based bio-conjugates are very useful for targeted drug delivery because of their inert nature. It is well established that albumin is one of the most abundant protein in human body. Using albumin as carrier is a brilliant strategy because albumin itself is non-toxic and non-immunogenic. Currently, there are FDA approved albumin bound drugs in market such as Abraxane®. Our lab is focusing on using lipid and albumin as carriers of anticancer agents (Oncotarget, 2017).