Event
Microfluidic-Enabled Liposomes for Targeted Drug Delivery
Monday, July 22, 2013
10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
FDA WO Campus, Bldg.2 Room 2047W
Ann Anonsen
aanonsen@umd.edu
Seminar by Don L. DeVoe
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
University of Maryland College Park
Bio:
Don L. DeVoe is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, with affiliate appointments in the Department of Bioengineering and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1997 with a focus on microsystems technology. His current research interests include thermoplastic lab-on-a-chip technologies including platforms for nanoparticle synthesis, label-free optofluidic detection, polymer microdroplet synthesis, and lipid membrane characterization. He has published over 90 journal articles and book chapters in these areas. Dr. DeVoe serves as a Senior Editor for the Journal of MicroElectroMechanical Systems, and has been an active technical program committee member for numerous conferences in the field. He was recently awarded the University System of Maryland Regents Award for Research in 2013, was named a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in 2008, and is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the National Science Foundation for advances in microsystems technology.
Lecture Abstract:
Microfluidic technology presents unique opportunities for the synthesis of a wide range of organic and inorganic nanoparticles, with exquisite control of particle size, morphology, and uniformity. A particularly interesting application of microfluidics is in the area of nanoscale liposomes. By taking advantage of controlled transverse diffusion of solvent and water across the boundary of a focused lipid flow stream, it has been demonstrated that exceptionally small and nearly monodisperse liposomes can be formed. This talk will describe the application of microfluidics as an alternative to traditional bulk synthesis of liposomes, and discuss recent advances in developing a "pharmacy-on-a-chip" platform capable of producing purified drug-laden vesicles in a simple continuous-flow microfluidic reactor. The in-line attachment of targeting ligands to the liposome surface will be described, together with various strategies for hydrophilic, lipophilic, and amphipathic drug incorporation. Recent preclinical results from applications of microfludic-enabled liposomes to solid tumor and transdermal drug delivery will also be presented.
