Zarrow Centennial Professor
Research Interests
Directing macrophage phenotype
Inflammation in muscle repair
Self-assembling nucleopeptides
Academic and professional background
Dr. Laura Suggs earned her Ph.D. in chemical engineering with a concentration in biomaterials and tissue engineering from Rice University in 1998. She joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin in 2004. In 2002, she received the National Science Foundation’s Advance Fellowship for outstanding female faculty.
Graduate Students
Research Interests
Nanoparticles and drug delivery
Immunology
Microfluidics
Current Research
I am currently researching the role microenvironment stiffness and nanoparticle stiffness play in macrophage uptake of nanoparticles. The goal of my research is to better understand how the cellular microenvironment impacts the delivery of nanoparticles to macrophages such that nanoparticle therapies can be optimized for uptake. This would allow for targeting of macrophages in various disease states to better deliver therapeutic agents via nanoparticles.
Academic and professional background
I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2024 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. As an undergraduate researcher, I worked in Dr. Brendon Baker's lab where my research focused on using microfluidic systems to model cancer metastasis and intravasation into vasculature as well as examining how microenvironment properties impact angiogenesis.
Research Interests
Extracellular Matrix Memetic Materials
Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Bioactive and biodegradable materials for therapeutic applications
Current Research
My project is focused on developing an improved culture platform for hiPSCs using biomimetic nucleo-peptide hydrogelators. Like a hydrogel spice rack, we aim to develop a base nucleopeptide hydrogelator that can be mixed and matched with different modulators to create a user-tunable scaffold. Currently, my work is focused on demonstrating the utility of attaching various bioactive ligands to modulating nucleopeptides in imparting cellular function. The next part of the project aims to demonstrate the scaffold’s usefulness as a transfection agent via the inclusion of a pro-survival miRNA cocktail to enhance cell viability in hypoxic environments.
Academic and professional background
I received my Bachelor of Science in Metallurgic and Materials Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering in May of 2021 from the Colorado School of Mines (CSM). My research journey began my sophomore year with an independent study on the impact-absorbance of a truss-lattice structure under Dr. Terry Lowe before I became an official member of his Transdisciplinary Nanomaterial Research Team (TNMRT). During the remainder of my time as an undergraduate, I conducted biomaterials research covering a wide span of interests, from shear thickening fluids to biocidal alloys. I continued my research as a senior member of the team for 1-year post-bachelors. I started graduate school at the University of Texas in the Fall of 2022 and rotated in a handful of biomaterials- focused laboratories my first year of graduate school before officially joining the Suggs Lab in the Fall of 2023. During my time in the Suggs’ Lab, I have received my master’s in biomedical engineering and completed a bioeffects advanced imaging internship at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Fort Sam-Houston under Dr. Joel Bixler.
Alumni
- Liz Bender
Elizabeth Bender, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Reserch topic: Modulating Lipid-Polymer Nanoparticles’ Physicochemical Properties to Alter Macrophage Uptake
- Wenbai Huang
Wenbai Huang, (co-‐supervised) Exercise Physiology, UT Austin
Research topic: Soluble components from mesenchymal stromal cell processing exert anti-inflammatory effects and facilitate ischemic muscle regeneration
- Jessica Widman
Jessica Widman, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Research topic: Engineering Gold Nanoshapes to Investigate the Influence of
Nanoparticle Shape on Biologic Interactions - Hattie Schunk
Hattie Schunk, MS (co-‐supervised) Chemical Engineering, UT Austin
Research topic: Assessing the range of enzymatic and oxidative tunability for biosensor design
- Chelsea Kraynak
Chelsea Kraynak, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Reserch topic: Modulating inflammatory macrophages with an apoptotic body-inspired nanoparticle
- Alex Noblett
Alex Noblett, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Research topic: Biological buffer-mediated self-assembly of modular nucleo-peptide
hydrogels for tissue engineering applications - Derek Hernandez
Derek Hernandez, Postdoctoral Associate, 2017-‐2020, Chemical Engineering, UT Austin
- Kiheon Baek
Kiheon Baek, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Research topic: Design of self-assembling nucleo-peptide hydrogels for molecular self-assembly study and functional biomaterials development
- Kabir Dhada
Kabir Dhada, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Research topic: Gold nanorods as photoacoustic nanoprobes to detect proinflammatory macrophages and inflammation
- Shane Allen
Shane Allen, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Research Topic: The Role of Extracellular Matrix Stiffness on Tumor Progression
- Alicia Allen
Alicia Allen (co-‐supervised), Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin Research topic: Anisotropy in Cell Sheeting and Cardiac Differentiation
- Viktoriya Rybalko
Viktoriya Rybalko, Postdoctoral Associate, 2015-‐2018, Kinesiology, UT Austin
- Daniela Santiesteban
Daniela Santiesteban (co-‐supervised), Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin/ Georgia Tech
Research topic: Perfluorocarbon nanodroplets as diagnostics and image-‐guided therapeutics
- Kevin Eckes
Kevin Eckes, May 2015, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin Research topic: Development of an analog of an Fmoc-‐dipeptide hydrogelator
- Ryan Stowers
Ryan Stowers, December, 2014, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin Research topic: Dynamic
Photo-‐Tunable Gels to Modulate Matrix Stiffness
- Laura Ricles
Laura Ricles (co-‐supervised), May 2014, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Research topic: In vivo tracking of MSCs using photo-‐acoustic and ultrasound imaging
- Laura Geuss
Laura Geuss, May 2014, Cell and Molecular Biology, UT Austin Research topic: Embryonic Stem Cell Culture Systems for Cardiac Differentiation
- Ryan Nagao
Ryan Nagao (co-‐supervised), May, 2014, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin Research topic:
Blood Vessel Development in Decellularized Matrices
- Julie Rytlewski
Julie Rytlewski, December 2013, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin,
Research topic: Mechanisms of Therapeutic Vasculogenesis
- Mary Nguyen
Mary Nguyen (co-‐supervised), May 2013, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin, Research topic:
Development of Biomimetic Polydepsipeptides
- Mena Abdelmelek
Mena Abdelmelek, 2009, MS Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin Research topic: Synthesis of a
Cyclic Depsipeptide Library
- Charlie Drinnan
Charles Drinnan, May 2010, Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin
Research topic: Dual Growth Factor Delivery for Smooth Muscle Cell Differentiation
- Ge (Christie) Zhang
Ge Zhang (co-‐supervised), May 2006, Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Research topic: A Combination Strategy to Achieve Therapeutic Neovascularization