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Bioengineering

New molecules, inspired by space shuttles, advance lipid nanoparticle delivery for weight control
Microscopic view of lipid nanoparticles.

Like space shuttles using booster rockets to breach the atmosphere, lipid nanoparticles equipped with the new molecule more successfully deliver medicinal payloads.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering)

New molecules, inspired by space shuttles, advance lipid nanoparticle delivery for weight control

Penn Engineering researchers have invented a new way to synthesize the key chemical components of lipid nanoparticles that help protect and deliver medicinal payloads.

From Penn Engineering Today

‘Switchable’ bispecific antibodies pave way for safer cancer treatment
Artist's depiction of tumor microenvironment

Bispecific T cell engagers are emerging as a powerful class of immunotherapy to treat cancer but are sometimes hindered by unwanted outcomes, such as on-target, off-tumor toxicity; cytokine release syndrome; and neurotoxicity. Now, researchers Penn researchers have developed a novel “switchable” bispecific T cell engager that mitigates these negative effects by co-opting a drug already approved by the FDA.

(Image: iStock / CIPhotos)

‘Switchable’ bispecific antibodies pave way for safer cancer treatment

Immunotherapy utilizing an FDA-approved drug has enabled Penn researchers to develop a novel switchable bispecific T cell engager that mitigates negative outcomes of immunotherapy.
Noor Momin harnesses the immune system to treat heart disease
A model of a heart

Image: Kjpargeter for Shutterstock

Noor Momin harnesses the immune system to treat heart disease

The Stephenson Foundation Term Assistant Professor of Innovation and her lab members work to engineer nanoparticles as medicinal vehicles to fit directly into a single cell.

From Penn Engineering Today

Breaching the blood-brain barrier
Researchers Mike Mitchell and Emily Han examining a microfluidic device used to make LNPs by mixing lipids and mRNA.

Michael Mitchell (left) and Emily Han (right) examine a microfluidic device used to make LNPs by mixing lipids and mRNA. 

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Breaching the blood-brain barrier

A team of researchers in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has devised a method to deliver mRNA into the brain using lipid nanoparticles, potentially advancing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and seizures.
Herniated discs could be repaired with biologic patch one day, researchers say

Herniated discs could be repaired with biologic patch one day, researchers say

Preclinical research by Robert Mauck of the Perelman School of Medicine, Thomas Schaer of the School of Veterinary Medicine, and Ana Peredo, a Ph.D. graduate of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, reveals how a biologic patch activated by natural motion could become a key tool for repairing herniated discs in the back and relieving pain.