Neutrophil-based Therapeutics: New Opportunities in Targeted Drug Delivery

There are two fundamental questions in drug delivery: targeting diseased tissues and blood vessel barriers. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cells and play a central role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases and cancer. Neutrophils have two properties during inflammation responses: 1) neutrophils adhere to blood vasculature via cell membrane proteins and 2) neutrophils naturally cross blood vessels. My lab pioneered the development of neutrophil-based drug delivery systems to increase drug delivery targeting and delivery efficiency. In the presentation, I will discuss neutrophil membrane-derived nanovesicles to target inflammatory vasculature for improved therapies of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), stroke and sepsis. I will also present neutrophil-mediated delivery of nanotherapeutic across blood brain barrier (BBB) to improve the glioma treatment. Finally, I will discuss the translation potential of our technologies.

Dr. Zhenjia Wang is an Associate Professor of Empire Innovation in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University at Buffalo, SUNY. He received his PhD in condensed matter physics in Chinese Academy of Sciences, followed by the extensive training in nanotechnology and microscopy at the University of Rochester and the comprehensive training in lung vascular biology in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was the recipient of NIH Career Development Award (K25) and Scientist Development Grant Award from American Heart Association. His research goal is to apply molecular biology, immunology, material sciences and bioengineering to understand and devise better ways to deliver drugs to improve current therapies. Specifically, his studies are focused on the development of neutrophil-based therapeutics to improve the therapies for cancer and inflammatory diseases (such as stroke, sepsis and ARDS). His research is supported by NIH grants.