Santiago Correa (Wittrup & Hammond Labs)

Targeted Combination Therapy: Overcoming Ovarian Cancer Using Layer-by-layer Nanoparticles

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a powerful and established technique for creating composite, multifunctional nanoparticles through the controlled fabrication of nanoscale thin films composed of biologically relevant materials. LbL particles exhibit multifunctional properties and stability in vivo, making them attractive drug carriers for the treatment of cancer. This work aims to apply the multifunctional capabilities of LbL nanotechnology towards addressing the unique challenges posed by high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Marianna Sofman (Griffith & Hammond Labs)

The Development of a Facile Polymer Microbeadbased Approach to Enable Angiogenesis in 3D Epithelial

3D in vitro tissue and organ cultures are of increasing interest as models for human disease and drug development. An enduring need is accomplishing vascularization of such tissues. Insufficient vasculature within cultured tissue results in hypoxic conditions due to an oxygen transport limitation hindering their survival and physiological function. Here we harness concepts from the bead-based angiogenesis assays to design hydrogel microbeads with cell interaction properties tailored to promoting endothelial cell invasion into dense tissues.