Emerging Tech Talks: Student Lectures 2/20/2019
Our first Spring 2019 Emerging Tech Talk: Student Lectures was organized by our Seminar Series Director Mae Lewis and was held on Wednesday, February 20th, 2019. The speakers were Chi Zhao (BME), Liam Connolly (ME), and Samuel Potter (ME). Here are some photos from the event:
Here are the speakers’ abstracts from the event:
Chi Zhao, Biomedical Engineering
Title: Direct Cytosolic Delivery of Macromolecules via Connectosomes
Abstract: Inefficient transport across the plasma membrane has greatly hindered the clinical success of siRNAs and other hydrophilic macromolecules. To traverse this selective barrier, existing technologies employ cationic lipid carriers. These carriers enter cells through endocytosis where they release siRNAs into the cytoplasm by bursting endosomal membranes. This inefficient and poorly controlled process contributes strongly to the systemic cytotoxicity of existing siRNA therapeutics. Nature, however, has provided an elegant route for direct delivery of siRNAs to the cytoplasm – the gap junction network. This network of transmembrane channels physically connects the cytoplasm of adjacent cells, and thereby provides a direct passageway into the cytoplasm. To harness the potential of this machinery for molecular delivery, here we demonstrate the transport and delivery of macromolecules using Connectosomes, cell-derived plasma membrane vesicles that contain high concentrations of gap junction proteins (A). Specifically, our results illustrate gap junction-mediated loading of both siRNAs and 10 kilodalton dextran into Connectosomes (B) and the subsequent transfer of these macromolecules into the cellular cytoplasm. Using Connectosomes, we achieve potent silencing of green fluorescent protein expression (C). Further, the delivery efficiency of dextran increases by about 40-fold in comparison to the passive cellular uptake of free dextran in solution (D). These results demonstrate the potential of Connectosomes to effectively address the long-standing challenge of crossing the plasma membrane barrier. Moving forward, this increased delivery efficiency will create new opportunities for delivering siRNAs as well as other classes of therapeutic biomolecules, such as short signaling peptides.
Liam Connolly, Mechanical Engineering
Title: A TIP-Based Metrology Framework for Real-Time Process Feedback of Roll-to-Roll Fabricated Nanopatterned Structures
Samuel Potter, Mechanical Engineering