Biomaterials for Oncology

Materials have played a critical role in ushering in many of the miracles of modern day medicine.  While many of the fatal diseases of yesteryears are now manageable chronic ailments, cancer continues to stubbornly resist and the buck the trend and remains the number one killer.  Our ability to successfully fight cancer depends on the development of "smart", "responsive" systems that can aid in the early detection of tumors, and delivery systems that can delivery the toxic payload in a highly targeted and efficacious manner.  The burgeoning field of nanomedicine, which leverages the ability of nanomaterials (objects with at least one of their dimensions < 300 nm) to traverse cellular barriers and evade the immune system, is poised to revolutionize how we detect, treat and manage cancers. Our laboratory is developing disruptive technologies that will be game changers in the delivery of cancer therapeutics.  Our focus is primarily on developing systems that leverage physicochemical properties of polymers to achieve biological targeting.  This approach offers many advantages over conventional receptor-ligand approach, including, diminished patient-patient variability and a reduced dependency on the grade and stage of the tumor. The advances in tumor biology and the fundamental insights gained in cellular targeting will allow us to apply purely biophysical principles for the targeting of therapy to specific cells within the tumor microenivronment.
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