Concentration 1: The central focus of Con 1 is expanding fundmental knowledge related to manipulating the immune system using systems incorporating soft materials. Both as a research theme and educational platform, this concentration teams researchers with widely differing domain expertise focused on a single, complex grand challenge.
Examples of Con 1 research by NRT students include:
Yalin Liu: "Enabling Transitions in Polyelectrolyte Complexes," with Prof. Sarah L. Perry and H. Henning Winter, Department of Chemical Engineering;
He Yang: "Using Fusarium Oxysporum as a Model for Antifungal Discovery," with Prof. Li-Jun Ma, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;
Li-Wei Chang: "Sequence and Entropy-based Control of Complex Coacervates," with Prof. Sarah L. Perry, Department of Chemical Engineering;
Nicholas Posey: "Role of Transporter-Cargo Binding in Polymer Mediated Intracellular Protein Delivery," with Prof. Greg Tew, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering;
Ryan Carpenter: "Implantable Humanized Pre-Matastatic Niches Elucidate Factors that Activate Disseminated Tumor Cells" with Prof. Jungwoo Lee, Department of Chemical Engineering;
Whitney C. Blocher: "Protein Encapsulation using Complex Coacervation of Oppositely Charged Polypeptides," with Prof. Sarah L. Perry, Department of Chemical Engineering;
Christopher Hango: "Functional Protein Delivery using Cell-Penetrating Peptide Mimics," with Prof. Greg Tew, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering;
Xiangxi "Zoey" Meng: "Encapsulating Cargo using Electrospun Complex Coacervate Fibers," with Profs. Sarah L. Perry and Jessical D. Schiffman, Department of Chemical Engineering;
Irene Kurtz: "Immobilization of Microbes in Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofibers" in Prof. Jessica D. Schiffman's Chemical Engineering research group;
Zhiyun "Kevin" Zhang: "Evaluation of Post-Harvest Washing on AgNPs Removal from Spinach Leaves" with Prof. Lili He in Food Science;