Prof. Tarek M. Fahmy, Yale University Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
March 8, 2012
Modular Nanoscale Biomaterials for Immunotherapy and Immunodiagnostics
Abstract:
The immune system is made up of a complex network of molecules and cells that can screen its own components, protect itself, and attack invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Immune system malfunction can lead to pathogenesis of many common chronic and autoimmune disease, and even progression of cancer. Nanomaterials can be engineered in ways that can rectify functional responses of these cells and detect their presence in health and disease. An attractive feature of these synthetic systems is that they can be ‘tuned’ in predictable, designable ways to optimize detection of cellular function for fast immunodiagnostics or used to manipulate the magnitude and direction of an immune response for immunotherapy. Here we present current our understandings and designs using nanomaterials ranging from biodegradable nanoparticles to semiconducting nanowires for modulation and interrogation of immune cells.
Date posted
Jun 17, 2019
Date updated
Jun 17, 2019