BIOE Seminar Series: Graduate Students Rita Huan-Ting Peng & Xin Wang

Multimodal Brain Data for Precision Neurorehabilitation in Chronic Stroke

By Rita Huan-Ting Peng, Department of Bioengineering, Faculty Advisor, Yuan Yang

Abstract: This research investigates multimodal brain data and AI approaches for precision neurorehabilitation in chronic stroke. Using structural and functional neuroimaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, electrophysiology, and clinical assessments, the work characterizes alterations in brain structure, functional connectivity, neurochemical profiles, and sensorimotor dynamics associated with post-stroke motor impairment and recovery. Individual modalities are analyzed to identify complementary structural, functional, neurochemical, and neurophysiological biomarkers, while computational approaches are developed to characterize patient-specific neural and brain–muscle alterations. Ultimately, this research aims to provide biomarkers for understanding individual differences after stroke and supporting personalized rehabilitation and targeted neuromodulation strategies

Self-Adjuvanting Toll-Like Receptor 4-Engaging Ionizable Aminoglycoside-Based Lipid Nanoparticles for Enhanced mRNA Cancer Vaccine

By Xin Wang, Department of Bioengineering, Faculty Advisor, Shuming Nie

Abstract: Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) based mRNA vaccines have demonstrated tremendous success for viral and bacterial control, but their therapeutic antitumor efficacy against solid tumors is still limited. Here we report a class of aminoglycoside-derived ionizable lipids and LNPs that can engage toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), induce superior activation of dendritic cells, and improve the endosomal escape and transfection efficiency of mRNA cargos. The aminoglycoside based LNPs significantly improved the transfection efficiency of antigen-encoding mRNAs in dendritic cells, leading to enhanced cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses and antitumor efficacy against an aggressive triple negative breast cancer model.

Biography: Xin Wang is a PhD candidate in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on mRNA vaccines and immune modulation. He is particularly interested in understanding how biomaterial properties regulate dendritic cell activities, endosomal trafficking, and antigen presentation to improve vaccines and immunotherapies.