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X-WR-CALNAME:Metabolome-Driven Design of Next-Generation Nanomedicines
X-WR-TIMEZONE:Eastern Time (US & Canada)
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260520T015255Z
UID:tag:localist.com\,2008:EventInstance_52249090540883
DTSTART:20260313T190000Z
DTEND:20260313T200000Z
DESCRIPTION:Biomedical Engineering Research Seminar\n\nZongjie (Daniel) Wan
 g\, Ph.D.\n\nBiohub Chicago\n\nAbstract\n\nLipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have
  enabled a new generation of in vivo mRNA therapeutics\, yet delivery and 
 functional expression remain suboptimal in many tissues even after extensi
 ve lipid optimization. Here\, we show that this gap is strongly shaped by 
 cellular metabolism: the physiologic metabolome imposes constraints that s
 uppress LNP uptake and downstream expression. Guided by multi-omics profil
 ing\, we identify downregulated amino acid–related pathways as a major l
 imiting axis and develop an amino acid supplement (AAS) that restores thes
 e metabolic programs. In this talk\, Dr. Wang will present evidence that m
 etabolic state is a dominant\, and tunable\, determinant of LNP performanc
 e. Co-administration of AAS markedly increases mRNA expression across mult
 iple cell types and lipid formulations\, achieving ~5–20-fold gains in v
 itro. In vivo\, AAS enhances reporter expression across administration rou
 tes and improves therapeutic outcomes in an acetaminophen-induced liver in
 jury model. Finally\, I will describe how AAS potentiates lung-targeted LN
 P gene editing\, increasing editing from ~20–30% to ~85–90% in a singl
 e dose. Collectively\, these findings advance a framework in which nanopar
 ticle efficacy reflects not only vector chemistry but also the metabolic m
 icroenvironment of target cells. By engineering this microenvironment\, we
  introduce an orthogonal and broadly applicable lever for improving RNA de
 livery and genome editing in vivo.\n\nBio\n\nZongjie (Daniel) Wang is a Gr
 oup Leader and Principal Investigator at Biohub Chicago (formerly Chan Zuc
 kerberg Biohub Chicago). His lab develops microsystems and multi-omics app
 roaches for high-throughput screening and therapeutic translation at the i
 ntersection of immunotherapy and precision medicine. He earned his Ph.D. i
 n Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto and trained as a p
 ostdoctoral scholar at Northwestern University. Daniel has published widel
 y across microtechnologies and nanomedicine\, including Science Translatio
 nal Medicine (2026)\, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (2026)\, Nature Biomed
 ical Engineering (2025\, 2024\, 2023\, 2022)\, and Nature Chemistry (2023)
 \, with more than 6\,000 citations to date. His honors include Crain’s C
 hicago Business “40 Under 40” (2024)\, the President’s Award for Exc
 ellence (ISAC\, 2025)\, the Young Alumni Achievement Award (UBC\, 2025)\, 
 and the Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation Prize (Weizmann Institute\, 2023).
  He is a co-founder of CTRL Therapeutics.
GEO:47.119629;-88.54821
LOCATION:Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building\, 102
SUMMARY:Metabolome-Driven Design of Next-Generation Nanomedicines
URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.mtu.edu/event/metabolome-driven-design-of-next
 -generation-nanomedicines
CATEGORIES:Academics
CATEGORIES:Lectures/Seminars
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