Polysorbate Drug Conjugates for Brain Targeted Drug Delivery 

Cationic Polymer Microarchitecture for plasmid DNA and CRISPR-Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) Delivery

                        PGA Coatings                                                           Polymer Microstructure DLVO Modeling-pDNA Delivery

Research Goals 

My overarching goal (long-term) is to discover an appropriate micro-or nanocarrier for the successful delivery of therapeutic payloads (small molecules, pDNA, mRNA, and CRISPR Cas9-RNP) for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Distinct types of non-viral carriers such as polymers, lipids, metals, carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, polymer-conjugates, and hydrogels were employed for the delivery of small molecules, nucleic acids, RNPs. Each carrier has its unique advantages as well as its limitations; an appropriate carrier must be selected considering the disease site, target area, dose, and applications. Meticulous material (carrier) selection plays a pivotal role in successful drug and gene delivery. I would like to implement three major steps towards my research goals.

1. The first step is identification/selection and engineering the microstructure of delivery carriers based on the target site (transportation across BBB), disease (spinal muscular atrophy), and biological phenomenon (to overcome endocytosis, immune response and serum interactions).

2. Second, pre-screening the microstructure and nanocarrier properties employing computational/in silico or artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) approaches to understand the pharmacokinetics and pharmacological parameters.

3. Third, optimizing the nanocarrier design rules and testing the engineered microstructures in suitable in vitro studies will be conducted using relevant cell lines. Therapeutic efficacy of the optimized combinational nano/micro formulations will be evaluated by in vivo animal studies.