Awesome! Congratulations!!

As a start up lab at the University of Oklahoma, this marks a big milestone! Our first original paper fully developed and tested at OU!

Huge thanks to NIGMS for the essential research support. Congratulations to co-authors Chloe Catelain, Danuta Radyna, and Harsh Joshi!

Want to learn more?

Synthesis of nanogels: science.org/doi/full/10....
Method to eval biodegradation kinetics: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Proof of functionalization with peptides: sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Establishment of SyNK (this work): sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Taken together - this motivates evaluation of SyNK particles for therapeutic applications + tools to immune cell phenotype in vitro / ex vivo.

Exciting new questions emerging on the role of intrinsic particle activity on the innate immune response to immunotherapy formulations.

Exciting findings emerged from these activity screenings -> Intrinsic particle activity acts largely in combination with bound cytokine activity, and pre-conditioning or co-stimulatory conditions (e.g., presence of IFNg in the media) significantly change the macrophage response.

We validated production of this platform by a number of approaches, including DLS, dynamic drug release, activity validation, and Cryo-TEM. We then looked at patterns of bioactivity under various dosing regimens relevant to immunotherapy (e.g,. prophylactic, co-stimulatory)

We call our approach "Synthetic Nanoparticle CytoKines" or "SyNK". By immobilizing cytokines on nanogels, we eliminate release to surroundings + retain the ability for (now particle-bound) cytokine to bind transmembrane receptors and elicit changes to macrophage phenotype.

Recombinant cytokine bioconjugates with degradable nanogel substrates for macrophage immunotherapy Cytokines are potent endogenous modulators of innate immunity, making them key mediators of macrophage plasticity for immunotherapy. However, the clin…

We published an original paper in Acta Biomaterialia
, led by senior PhD student Rana Ajeeb!

We functionalized degradable nanogels with recombinant cytokines, retaining patterns of bioactivity to target cells + preventing non-specific release to saline/plasma.

sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Standardized droplet preamplification method for downstream circulating cell-free DNA analysis Circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) can be found in blood and other biofluids and is a minimally invasive biomarker for several pathological processes. As tumors become more invasive, an increasing ...

I’m thrilled that the *first* Pratt Lab paper is now out in BioTechniques! This work builds on our published MED-Amp assay, which improves ctDNA detection from low-input (<10 ng/mL) plasma by ~40% compared to targeted NGS and conventional ddPCR. (1/8)

doi.org/10.1080/0736...

It was great to share some of our nanogel and macrophage phenotype research with the cell and molecular bioengineering community. Thank you to the organizers for creating a supportive and engaged space for junior PIs to showcase emerging research.

Proud of Chloe Catelain, a MS student from my lab, who defended her MS thesis last week! Chloe is the first graduate from my laboratory at the Univ. of Oklahoma! Chloe is moving on to complete her PhD in formulation development for infectious diseases and immunology at Utrecht University!

The 2024-2025 BME TT Faculty jobs list has 122 positions.
#FacultySearch #BME #BMEJobsList

Add a job: forms.gle/HPzAKkS1x44t...
Jobs list: ericaprattlab.com/bme_jobs_list/

Starter pack for those working/interested in the drug delivery space.

I fought the app for several hours trying to put together the list of people. I likely missed many of you! Please share and let me know if you want to be added.

go.bsky.app/L11HkZ3

I didn’t see a general starter pack for people in the #BME and #BioE communities so I started to put one together. Let me know if I’ve missed anyone in particular or if you’d like to be added! #ScienceSky #AcademicSky
go.bsky.app/9nMCGLK

Great to join BlueSky! Will use this platform to share lab updates and showcase the authentic people behind our science. Pets and BBQ pictures too! #Immunoengineering #Biomaterials #DrugDelivery #Macrophages #Neuro #ScienceCommunication #OklahomaSooners

The Biomaterials Starter Pack is continuing to grow - please share with your colleagues!

Self-nominate yourself to the list, we're looking for anyone working or researching within the broad scope of biomaterials either in academia or industry.

go.bsky.app/DymaVAp