CBE Spring Seminar Series Speaker: Samir Mitragotri

Description

A Hitchhiker’s and Backpacker’s Guide to Drug Delivery

Abstract: Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems are widely explored to improve the biological outcome of chemo and immunotherapy. However, poor vascular circulation, limited targeting and the inability to negotiate many biological barriers are key hurdles in their clinical translation. Biology has provided many examples of successful “carriers” in the form of circulatory cells, which routinely overcome the hurdles faced by synthetic nanoparticle systems. We have explored “cellular hitchhiking and backpacking” approaches which involve combining synthetic particles with circulatory cells to drastically alter the in vivo fate of the particles as well as the cells. I will provide an overview of the principles and examples of hitchhiking and backpacking approaches for drug and cell therapy.

Biography: Samir Mitragotri is the Hiller Professor of Bioengineering and Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. His research is focused on drug delivery. His research has also led to new technologies for transdermal, oral, and targeted drug delivery systems. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine and National Academy of Inventors. He is an author on over 400 publications and an inventor on over 225 patents/patent applications. He is also an elected fellow of AAAS, CRS, BMES, AIMBE, and AAPS. He received BS in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, India and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.