RESEARCH AREAS
Cell Delivery for Diabetes and Cancers Using Biomimetic Cell Wall & Extracellular Matrix
We are developing new tools for cell functionalization. In particular, we apply nucleic acids to synthesize programmable nanostructures to engineer the cell surface. Engineered cells will acquire more powerful functions than their natural counterparts and hold great potential for regenerative medicine, cancer treatment, drug delivery, etc. Engineered cells can also be tuned for biomanufacturing.
Representative Paper:
1.Lee, K.; Davis, B.; Wang, X.; Mirg, S.; Wen, C.; Abune, L.; Peterson, B. E.; Han, L.; Chen, H.; Wang, H.; Szczesny, S. E.; Lei, Y.; Kothapalli, S. R.; Wang, Y. Nanoparticle‐Decorated Biomimetic Extracellular Matrix for Cell Nanoencapsulation and Regulation. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2023, 62 (31). https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202306583.
2. Shi, P.; Zhao, N.; Coyne, J.; Wang, Y. DNA-Templated Synthesis of Biomimetic Cell Wall for Nanoencapsulation and Protection of Mammalian Cells. Nature Communications 2019, 10 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10231-y.
Protein Delivery for Regenerative Medicine and Immunotherapy
Our lab has pioneered the development of programmable tissue-like aptamer-functionalized hydrogels for on-demand protein drug release. Now we are using this emerging class of biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. We are also tuning these biomaterials for the treatment of cancer and diabetes.
Representative Paper:
1. Abune, L.; Wang, Y. Affinity Hydrogels for Protein Delivery. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 2021, 42 (4), 300–312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2021.01.005.
2. Battig, M. R.; Soontornworajit, B.; Wang, Y. Programmable Release of Multiple Protein Drugs from Aptamer-Functionalized Hydrogels via Nucleic Acid Hybridization. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2012, 134 (30), 12410–12413. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja305238a.
Fast Selection of 'Chemical Antibody'
Aptamers are “chemical antibodies” with great potential for various applications where antibodies are used. Our lab applies the HAS method for fast aptamer selection to synthesize various biomaterials including hydrogels for treating cancer and tissue loss.
Representative Paper:
Singh, N. K.; Wang, Y.; Wen, C.; Davis, B.; Wang, X.; Lee, K.; Wang, Y. High-Affinity One-Step Aptamer Selection Using a Non-Fouling Porous Hydrogel. Nature Biotechnology 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-023-01973-8.