Leveraging the Natural Cellular and Biomolecular Interactions in Blood for the Design of Targeted, Anti-Inflammatory Particle Therapeutics
Abstract: Vascular-targeted particle therapeutics offer the possibility of increased drug effectiveness while minimizing side effects often associated with systemic drug administration. Factors that influence the likelihood of targeted particle therapeutics reaching the vascular wall are the ability to identify 1) a disease-specific target, 2) the appropriate drug carrier type and geometry for efficient interaction with the vascular wall, and 3) a drug-carrier combination that allows for the desired release of the targeted therapeutics. Dr. Eniola Adefeso's work focuses on probing the role of particle geometry, material chemistry, and blood rheology/dynamics on the ability of vascular-targeted drug carriers to interact with the blood vessel wall - an important consideration that will control the effectiveness of drug targeting regardless of the targeted disease or delivered therapeutically. This presentation will highlight the carrier-blood cell interactions that affect drug carrier binding to the vascular wall and alter critical neutrophil functions in disease. In this talk, Dr. Eniola-Adefeso will present the material design parameters for optimal drug carriers' design for active and passive use in treating acute lung injury and other inflammatory diseases.
Biography: Lola Eniola-Adefeso is the 10th dean of the University of Illinois Chicago College of Engineering. A highly respected chemical and biomedical engineer with over 25 years of professional experience, she is dedicated to enhancing the College’s excellence and impact by building on its legacy of renowned research to address societal challenges and attracting and supporting diverse undergraduate and graduate students prepare for 21st century challenges. An accomplished scholar with a track record of interdisciplinary work, Eniola-Adefeso has published more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and secured millions of dollars in federal research funding. She has had entrepreneurial successes that have resulted in three patent filings – including one patent currently being licensed to a biotech company. She is highly recognized in the scientific community and has earned numerous honors and awards. Among her national leadership roles are serving as president of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and as director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. She also participates on the National Academies Study Committee: Quadrennial Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. Throughout her career, Eniola-Adefeso has championed efforts to bring greater diversity to the field of engineering. She led the multi-institutional NextProf engineering program, which aims to increase the number of PhD students and postdocs from traditionally underrepresented groups in engineering who are transitioning into academic careers. She also co-founded BME Women Faculty UNITE and helped plan and lead Forging Futures Together by Strengthening Collaborations, an inaugural summit of engineering deans from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Big 10+ engineering institutions held in June 2024. Prior to joining the UIC community, Eniola-Adefeso served as a professor of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and macromolecular science and engineering at the University of Michigan, where she held the Vennema Endowed Professorship and was named a University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor. A Meyerhoff Scholar at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, she received her PhD in chemical and biomolecular engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.