(3do) Smart Manipulation of Soft Matter for Immunobioengineering

In this poster session, I will display my research interests that can be summarized into three main themes: (1) Technology development for smart manipulation of biomaterials, (2) biological study of the interface between biomaterials and the immune system, and (3) novel immunobioengineering based on the learning from the first two topics. My previous research efforts that lead into my current research interests will be presented accordingly.

First, smart manipulation of biomaterials in micro- and nanometer scale is my research interest extended from my PhD thesis, where the novel applicability of the electrified jetting process was demonstrated for the control of materials distribution in nanometer scale. Particularly, simultaneous jetting of two or three distinct polymer solutions through jetting capillaries in a side-by-side geometry was successfully employed to create biphasic or triphasic nanocolloids. The resulting nanocolloids consist of two or more separate compartments, which generate anisotropy. Selective surface modifications and chemical reactions enhancing this anisotropy enable experiments with mammalian cells to demonstrate that these unique smart nanomaterials can potentially be useful in novel biomedical applications, namely unique drug delivery and bioimaging.

My research interests in biomaterials expanded to pure biological questions through my postdoctoral research experience. I was especially drawn to the immune system, because it is the gateway where the interactions between our body and biomaterials begin. While I studied spatiotemporal dynamics of T-cell receptors and related molecules in the critical T cell activation process at an unprecedented resolution, I became interested in the general principle governing cellular membrane organization and its roles in interfacing with biomaterials, which will be one of my continued efforts. For this, super-resolution fluorescent microscopy, i.e. photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM) and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), which I established and applied to my postdoctoral research will continuously be a powerful toolset.

Last but not least, I would like to apply the newly developed biomaterials for various immunotherapies and biological studies of immune systems in general, namely, immunobioengineering. Select topics include creating a smart depot system for the treatment of autoimmune and degenerative diseases, and employing a biohybrid of lymphocytes and multifunctional nanoparticles for directed immune trafficking.