(6gh) Utilizing Nano- and Micro-Particles for Safe and Efficient Gene and Drug Delivery

Research Interests: My research expertise centers around cell
culture techniques. I have been trained in cell culture for human embryonic
stem cells, particularly with the aim of differentiating them into pancreatic
progenitor cells. I have also investigated the toxicity of nanomaterials in
several cell lines including 3T3 fibroblasts and A549 adenocarcinoma. I have
studied the nanotoxicity of nanomaterials fabricated in the lab (nickel on
silicon dioxide), commercial particles (silicon dioxide) and industrially
relevant particles generated by flame spray pyrolysis by collaborators.

In addition to studying the
nanotoxicity of commercial silicon dioxide nanoparticles, I have also
investigated the bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein corona on these particles.
Utilizing a hybrid of chemistry and cellular engineering techniques, I was able
to quantitatively assess the secondary protein structure and the protein
adsorption onto the particles. The main focus of this project was to
investigate the pH effects on the protein corona, which was done as part of a
larger investigation within the Grassian laboratory. This project was further
expanded into an investigation of ion effects on the protein corona as ions are
a large component of many biological fluids. Each of these projects included
mentorship of full-time undergraduate researchers whose contributions to the
projects and publications were exceptionally valuable.

Currently, my investigations
focus on characterizing particles, delivering particles to cells in
vitro as well as animals to assess how particles either enhance or
mitigate certain diseases. The formulations are developed based on
pharmaceutical knowledge as well as empirical evidence. Initial formulations
are largely dependent on what has previously been shown successful by Salem
laboratory members, however, improvements are constantly underway. These
projects span many different diseases including gene delivery to treat cancer,
interactions of vaccine and engineered nanomaterials in allergic asthma, and
neural inhibitors to aide in recovery following heart failure events.

Throughout graduate school, I
have received several fellowships and scholarships. Prior to entering graduate
school, I was awarded the National GEM Consortium Associated Fellowship. Along
with my application materials, I was nominated for and received a Dean’s
Graduate Research Fellowship through the Graduate College at the University of
Iowa, which provides full funding support for the first and fifth years, as
well as every summer. I was also awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Minority PhD Scholarship, which provides external scholarship funding to be
used in any manner that supports graduate research and productivity. This award
is specific to students who are members of underrepresented groups and who are
considering academia as a career path. After the completion of my M.S. thesis,
I was also awarded a two-semester fellowship from the University of Iowa
Graduate College. Additionally, my research was featured in the Dare to
Discover Campaign sponsored by the Office of Research and Economic Development
along with 62 other undergraduate and graduate students at the University of
Iowa in the 2018 campaign.

M.S. Projects:

The influence of pH on the bovine serum albumin corona about
commercially available silicon dioxide nanoparticles

Givens, B. E.; Diklich, N. D.;
Fiegel, J.; Grassian, V. H., “Adsorption of bovine serum albumin on silicon
dioxide nanoparticles: Impact of pH on nanoparticle-protein interactions” 2017.
Biointerphases. 12 (1), DOI: 10.1116/1.4982598.

Givens, B. E.; Xu, Z.; Fiegel, J.;
Grassian, V. H., “Bovine serum albumin adsorption on SiO₂ and TiO₂
nanoparticle surfaces at circumneutral and acidic pH: A tale of two nano-bio
surface interactions.” 2016. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. 493,
334-341.

The influence of ions on the bovine serum albumin corona
about commercially available silicon dioxide nanoparticles

Givens, B. E.; Wilson, E.; Fiegel, J., “The
effect of solution properties on protein corona formation.” 2018. Langmuir. In preparation.

Ph.D. Projects:

Nanotoxicity of engineered nanomaterials at
occupationally-relevant exposure levels

Morris, A. S.; Givens, B. E.;
Salem, A. K., “Serum effects on copper oxide nanoparticle colloidal behavior
and toxicity in BEAS-2B cells” 2018. ACS Nano. In preparation.

Tuning particle properties for desired sustained-release
kinetics

Terry, T. L.; Givens, B. E.;
Rodgers, V. G. J.; Salem, A. K., “Tunable properties of
poly-DL-lactide-poly(ethylene glycol) porous microparticles for sustained
release of polyethylenimine-DNA polyplexes.” 2018.
AAPS PharmSciTech. Invited Manuscript.

Non-viral gene delivery decreases over-expression of tumor-linked
protein

Givens, B.E.; Devor, E. J.;
Warrier, A.; Salem, A. K., “Non-viral nanoplex
delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 can knockdown PLAC1 in endometrial cancer cells.” 2018.
Biomaterials, In preparation.

Teaching Interests: I realized that I wanted to enter academia
midway through my undergraduate studies and therefore took two teaching
assistantships through other departments in areas of interest to me. I served
as a teaching assistant and grading support for Introduction to Shakespeare in
the English Literature department. Most valuably, this opportunity gave me
additional practice with written communication. The following year, I was one
of 16 teaching assistants for Introduction to Biology, and with three other
teaching assistants, I planned a discussion session each week. Working as part
of a team of students that were all interested in the same topic, but not
necessarily majoring within the sponsoring department provided valuable
experience with effectively communicating to individuals outside of your chosen
field. I was also able to solidify that teaching was something I was thoroughly
interested in and wanted to pursue as a career.

In graduate school, I have served
as the teaching assistant and laboratory instructor for Process Dynamics and
Controls. I chose this course because it was a course that I really enjoyed
when I took it, and because it contained material that I was not able to
practice with my research project. I felt that it kept the areas of my brain
active that may otherwise not have been. I also taught a GRE preparation course
through the University of Iowa Graduate College’s Summer Research Opportunity
Program (SROP), specifically for the quantitative section. Not only has this
improved my ability to deliver information at the front of the classroom, it
has also made me more passionate about delivering material in a way that holds
students’ interests. I believe in creating a safe space and an active learning
environment for students, particularly with smaller class sizes.

In my future, I hope to instruct
courses such as drug delivery and transport phenomena because they pertain to
my research. My favorite course at both the undergraduate and graduate levels
was thermodynamics, and I would enjoy teaching this course at either or both
levels. My philosophy is to take the scary connotation out of the course and
deliver the information in such a way that it is informative and relevant.