On Friday, February 17, 2022, we are excited to welcome Professor Katharina Maisel from the University of Maryland, College Park as she presents, "Crossing and probing biological barriers"

ABOUT THE SEMINAR

Crossing and probing biological barriers

The Mucosal Associated Immune System Engineering and Lymphatics (MAISEL) Lab’s research integrates materials science, immunology, mucosal barrier physiology, and drug delivery to design nanoparticles to take advantage of and study the interface between biological barriers, particularly the lymphatics, interstitial tissue, and mucosal surfaces, and nanoparticles. Lymphatic vessels are critical for maintenance of tissue homeostasis and forming the adaptive immune response, as they are the natural conduit between peripheral tissues and the lymph nodes, where the immune response is shaped. Because particulates are primarily shuttled via lymphatic vessels, lymphatics have received considerable attention as targets for drug delivery, particularly for immune modulation. Interstitial tissue spaces, including extracellular matrix and mucus mesh, form significant transport barriers to cells, large molecules, particulates, and therapeutics, and transport across these spaces governs what enters lymphatic vessels. The Maisel Lab has made significant progress in understanding how nanoparticle material properties like surface chemistry, affect their transport across biological barriers and how this can be harnessed to study biological barriers and design therapeutics.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Katharina Maisel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park

Dr. Maisel joined the University of Maryland in January 2019. Her interdisciplinary training includes the fields of nanotechnology, materials science, mucosal immunology, lymphatic immunology, and immunoengineering. Dr. Maisel has won a number of awards, including NSF GRFP and NIH F32 fellowships as a trainee, the American Lung Association Dalsemer Award, LAM Foundation Career Development Award, NSF CAREER Award, and NIH NIGMS Maximizing Investigator Research Award. Her work has led to numerous high-impact publications, particularly in the field of drug delivery and mucosal and lymphatic immunoengineering, and several patents.

ABOUT THE BME SEMINAR SERIES

The Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University is proud to host an annual weekly seminar series on the latest developments and research in Biomedical Engineering. The weekly series takes place on Friday mornings at 11:00 AM Eastern and includes a variety of renowned academics from top universities to talk about their specific research and experience. This is a hybrid event.