Synthetic Nanogels for Cytokine Delivery and Macrophage Immunotherapy
Rana Ajeeb
CIC nanoGUNE
CIC nanoGUNE seminar room, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, Donostia - San Sebastian
Mariana Medina Sánchez
Cytokines are potent signaling proteins that regulate immune responses, but their therapeutic use is limited by systemic toxicity and uncontrolled distribution. My Ph.D. work focused on designing and developing a modular nanogel-based platform, termed Synthetic Nanoparticle cytoKine (SyNK), designed to restrict cytokines’ systemic release under circulatory conditions while preserving bioactivity upon co-localization with, or uptake by, target immune cells. In vitro studies showed cytocompatibility and selective uptake by macrophages, while in vivo experiments in mice revealed rapid clearance from circulation and accumulation in key organs without toxicity. Conjugating different cytokines to the nanogel allowed modulation of macrophage phenotype in a context-dependent manner, providing a tunable system for immune therapy. At nanoGUNE, I will extend these concepts towards the design of microrobots carrying CAR T cells for lung cancer, integrating nanoscale engineering with immune cell therapies.
After earning my Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the Lebanese American University, I completed my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma under the supervision of Dr. John Clegg. My research combines biomaterials design, cellular immunology, and pharmacology to develop safe and tunable therapeutic systems. I gained further experience in biotechnology ecosystems as a fellow at OKBioStart, a life science incubator, conducting technical and market due diligence on early-stage biotechnology ventures. As a postdoctoral fellow at nanoGUNE, I am focused on developing microrobotic systems for CAR T cell delivery in lung cancer.