(4mp) Engineering Mass Transport to Active Colloidal Systems: Drug Delivery Frameworks for Biomolecular Condensates

Keywords: Interfacial phenomenon, Single colloid manipulation, Molecular rheometry, Ionic liquids, Geometrical engineering of biointerfaces, Machine learning in interfacial and colloid science.

Research Interests: The emerging importance of biomolecular condensates in human health and disease has opened a need to understand and engineer mass transport to these phase-separated active colloidal structures within cells. My independent research seeks to develop novel tools to systematically study phase separated colloids at relevant length scales and employ this information to engineer translatable frameworks for targeted and sustained transport of drugs to biomolecular condensates. Beyond drug delivery, my research will also impact sustainability applications employing phase separated colloids for carbon capture, resource recovery and energy applications.

Research Experience:

Doctoral Research: Role of mass transport on the stability of colloids, Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University (advised by Prof. Gerald Fuller)

Trained as a Chemical Engineer, I extensively investigated and advanced the scientific frontiers in the areas of transport physics and interfacial stability. Notably, I discovered a new physical phenomenon: evaporation induced solutocapillary Marangoni flows – a mass transport induced interfacial phenomenon that drives convective flows to augment the stability of foams [1]. I subsequently engineered liquid mixtures leveraging evaporation induced solutocapillary Marangoni flows to create the first miscible antifoam (foam mitigation additive) [2, 3], anecdotally considered as the holy grail of foam control. Crucial for these discoveries was my work on establishing a novel single colloid manipulation framework to study foams [4]. I also improved the accuracy and throughput of thin film interferometry, a crucial technique employed in experimental colloidal science, by incorporating hyperspectral imagers [5], and transformer architecture-based machine learning. This improvement proved crucial for the development of the OnEye setup, a non-invasive technique to characterize the in vivo pre-contact lens tear films. Recognizing its potential for contact lens development, Alcon and Johnson & Johnson have acquired this patented platform for a sum exceeding $350K [6]. More recently, as a co-senior author, I have made advances in the development of molecular rheometry probes to study interfacial mechanics in biophysical systems [7]. Overall, my doctoral research has equipped me with a robust foundational understanding of transport physics and interfacial phenomena, the expertise to devise innovative experimental tools, and a clear understanding for translating tools established in physical sciences to address challenges in living systems.

Post-Doctoral Research: Drug delivery across scales,
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University (advised by Prof. Samir Mitragotri)

In my post-doc, I extended my doctoral research to develop tools and solve pressing problems in drug transport and delivery across a range of length scales and Peclet numbers. Notably, at the body scale, I developed a physics informed machine learning (reinforcement learning) based framework to enhance the low Reynolds number convective-diffusive transport kinetics of drugs delivered using central venous catheters [8, 9]. This breakthrough has the potential to dramatically improve critical care of adult and pediatric patients and is currently being evaluated at the Massachusetts General Hospital for translation. At the tissue scale, I engineered a microfluidic organ-on-a-chip model of the subcutaneous tissue, and an associated mathematical scaling analysis employing three critical transport rate constants for the facile assessment of bioavailability of subcutaneously administered monoclonal antibodies [10]. This framework has the potential to accelerate the development of subcutaneous drug formulations by allowing the assessment of clinical bioavailability in just over two weeks — a significant reduction compared to the timeframe of months or years required for clinical trials. Finally, at the cellular scale, I performed geometrical and interfacial engineering of microparticles for manipulating drug transport at the level of a single cell and used the resulting cell-microparticle construct as a living contrast agent for diagnosing mild traumatic brain injury [11]. Overall, my post-doctoral research has equipped me with a host of experimental and mathematical tools for appropriately regulating transport in biophysical systems across a range of length scales.

Referenced Publications and Patents:

[1] V. Chandran Suja, G.G. Fuller et.al, Evaporation Induced Foam Stabilization in Lubricating Oils, PNAS (2018).
[2] V. Chandran Suja et.al WO2022251469A1 (Worldwide Patent)
[3] V. Chandran Suja et.al US Patent Application No.US20240076573
[4] V. Chandran Suja et.al, Single bubble and drop techniques for characterizing foams and emulsions, Adv. Coll. Int. Sci 102295.
[5] V. Chandran Suja et.al, Hyperspectral imaging for dynamic thin film interferometry, Sci. Rep. 10. 1 (2020)
[6] V. Chandran Suja et.al US Patent 11,580,631
[7] Y. Huang*, V. Chandran Suja et.al*^,#, Interfacial stresses on droplet interface bilayers using two photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, JCIS 653 (2024). * Equal contribution, ^#Co-Senior author
[8] V. Chandran Suja et.al Rapid and informed drug infusions for critical care via drug transport physics informed stand-alone infusion pumps, Submitted.
[9] V. Chandran Suja et.al US Patent Application No.US63619874
[10] V. Chandran Suja*, Q. Qi* et.al A biomimetic chip to assess subcutaneous bioavailability of monoclonal antibodies in humans. PNAS Nexus 10. 2 (2023) *Equal contribution.
[11] L. Wang, Y. Gao, V. Chandran Suja et al, Macrophage hitchhiking Gadolinium micropatches: A living contrast agent for diagnosis of traumatic brain injury. Science Translational Medicine 16.728 (2023)

Selected Awards:

• Rising Star in Soft and Biological Matter – NSF MRSEC (2023)
• International Congress of Rheology Gallery Contest Award (2020)
• Stanford Centennial TA award (2019)
• Chemical Engineering Outstanding TA award (2019)
• Charpak Scholarship (2014)
  
  

Teaching and Outreach Interests:

As a formally trained chemical engineer, I am excited and qualified to teach core coursework in Thermodynamics, Polymer Physics, Fluid Mechanics, Separations, and Transport Phenomena. I also look forward to leveraging my interdisciplinary research experience and interests to develop and teach electives in Interfacial phenomenon in Biophysics, Molecular Rheometry, Data-driven Tools in Drug Delivery. I am also focused on an outreach mission with the goal of enhancing diversity and student participation in chemical engineering through programs I created such as MediSTARS and BiomeSTARS.

Teaching Experience:

• Rheology short course in Beijing, Teaching Assistant (2019)
• Fluid Mechanics (ChemEng 120A), Teaching Assistant and Guest Lecturer (2018, 2019)
• MediSTARS (SEAS, Harvard), Highschool Summer Outreach, Co-Creator, Organizer, and Instructor (2023, 2024)
• BiomeSTARS (Pratibha Poshak, India), Co-Creator, Organizer, and Co-Instructor (2024)