Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Seminar Series: Nathalie Pinkerton

Description

Nathalie Pinkerton, an assistant professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, will give a talk titled "Designer Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications" as part of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Seminar Series.

This is a hybrid event; to attend virtually, use the Zoom Meeting ID (919 5918 2879) and Passcode (270887).

Abstract:

Nanomedicine, the application of nanomaterials to the field of medicine, holds the potential to significantly improve human health ranging from more effective cancer treatments to novel medical imaging contrast agents for improved diagnoses. Nanomedicines have engineered properties that enable them to behave differently in vivo compared to small molecule drugs. Because of their nanometer length scale, nanomedicines can interact with cells and tissues in a unique fashion.

The Pinkerton Research Group creates highly engineered nanomaterials using scalable methods to address cancer and pain. We use tools from chemistry, nanotechnology, immunoncology and chemical engineering to build and discover structure-property relationships in new materials designed to interact specifically with the tumor microenvironment, including immune cells and sensory neurons. Our nanoparticles are designed for precise interactions by (1) building in spatiotemporal control of drug release through two-photon near infrared light response capabilities, (2) optimizing nanoparticle physicochemical properties for selective cellular uptake and (3) delivering of a wide range of therapeutic cargos. In this presentation, I will discuss my groups preliminary advances these areas with emphasis on our nanoparticle assembly techniques, flash nanoprecipitation and sequential nanoprecipitation, which enables us to decouple several key nanoparticle attributes and build nanoparticle libraries.

Learn more about the speaker online.