My post-doctoral work involved developing technology aimed to benefit the developing world. I was involved in the development of a single injection vaccine against T. solium, capable of providing its own booster at a later point in time, removing the need to meet the patient more than once. We tested this technology in a murine model.

My post-doctoral training at Hopkins was an extension of doctoral research.

This work details how polymer structure of poly(β-amino ester)s (PBAE) affects polymer-DNA binding and how binding affects transfection levels, viability, and nanoparticle physical properties (zeta potential and diameter). We also investigated the comparative binding strengths of branched and linear polyethyleneimine, poly(L-lysine) and PBAEs with plasmid DNA and found PBAEs have the weakest binding. This work also details new bioassays including a more high throughput method for assessing cellular and nuclear uptake rates using flow cytometry. This method may be used for elucidating structure-function relationships in various cell types. An auto-fitting, first order mass-action kinetic model was developed in MatLab to quantify the intracellular delivery rate constants for comparing delivery bottlenecks of various polymer structures in various cell lines. This model was used to assess rate differences between polymers which do not transfect well, tansfect mediocre, and transfect well in primary human glioblastoma in vitro. The model recapitulated the experimental data with good agreement without needing to extrapolate data from literature. Principal component analysis is a method to look at large data sets with unknown variable correlations and to quantify how each variable is correlated with another, as well as which and to what degree each variable may drive another. Principal component analysis was utilized to look at 27 physico-chemical properties and cell gene delivery outcomes (i.e., uptake, transfection levels, and viability). We found that certain key parameters, such as hydrophobicity, drove uptake and transfection. The theranostic-enabling technology was capable of co-delivering DNA and siRNA as well as delivering two layers of DNA with two different expression time profiles. Co-delivering DNA and siRNA could allow for the knockdown of a dysfunctional aberrant protein while replacing it with a functional protein.

Investigated relative binding differences of hydrolytically degrdadable, cationic polymers and DNA. I synthesized monodisperse polymers with single carbon differences in the backbone and sidechains, and varied the endcap type (none, primary, secondary, tertiary amines) to see how these single carbon differences affected its DNA binding affinity using a single photon counting laser system. I also investigated how binding affinity changes as a function of polymer molecular weight.

Manufactured a potentially refillable ocular drug delivery device (Avastin) which is inserted at the time of IOL implantation for the treatment of AMD.

Utah Artificial Heart Program: On-call engineer for cardiac surgeons, physicians, nurses, and patients for implanting and explanting ventricular assist devices and total artificial hearts, as well as for troubleshooting equipment malfunctions (on-site and off-site). I would control the ventricular assist devices and artificial hearts during implant and explant procedures to maintain proper pressures in the devices as well as the patients. I assembled the inflow and outflow conduits, and primed the ventricular assist devices and total artificial hearts under a sterile field for the cardiac surgeon. I reported mechanical and physiological adverse events to the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support. I maintained databases for our patients’ survival statistics to ensure we were meeting quality of care standards. I also trained new bioengineers coming into the program. Whenever I was not helping in a surgery/procedure, I would be doing research.Research: causes for hospital readmission in DT VAD patients, causes for late mortality in DT VAD patients, Levitronix Centrimag VAD for temporary support, outcomes in DT VAD patients as predicted by the Seattle Heart Failure Model, reconstructive surgery for VAD infections, age limit of VAD therapy, obesity as it relates to driveline site infections, a non-invasive method to asses aortic valve opening in continuous flow supported patients, signal characteristics in current to predict HM XVE pump failure.