报告题目：Molecular Dynamics Simulations on Polyethylenimine-based Gene Delivery Carriers
报告人：Tian Tang，Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
时间：6月9日上午10:00
地点：科学楼902
Abstract
Gene delivery is a promising therapeutic technique that involves delivering nucleic acid-based therapeutics into cells to treat a wide-range of diseases including cancers, hereditary conditions and viral infections. Efficient and safe delivery carriers are paramount for clinical success. Viruses are efficient delivery vehicles, but they are greatly limited on their use due to safety concerns. Synthetic polymers, as alternatives to viral carriers, can condense and form nanoparticles with nucleic acids to facilitate the delivery, with the advantages of less toxicity, lower cost, easiness to produce and versatility. Polyethylenimine (PEI) has been intensely studied experimentally as alternative non-viral carriers for use in a clinical setting. However, many fundamental issues related to their mechanisms of action remain to be clarified. In this talk, I will present our recent work on studying PEI/nucleic acids complexation using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Through a series of MD simulations (both restrained and non-restrained), we address PEI’s binding mechanisms to nucleic acids, how they aggregate the nucleic acids, the influence of PEI’s protonation state, molecular weight, structure (degree of branching), as well as the beneficial effects of lipid modification.
Bio Sketch
Dr. Tian Tang received her Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Mechanics from Tsinghua University (2001) and PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University (2005). She worked as a Visiting Research Scientist in the Chemical Engineering Department at Lehigh University before she joined the University of Alberta (2007). Dr. Tang’s research interests lie in the modeling and simulation of materials, especially materials and structures at micro- to nano- scales and in biological systems. She has published over forty papers in international journals in the areas of modeling polycation-based gene delivery carriers, polyelectrolyte, carbon nanotube, biomechanics and biomimetic adhesion. She is a reviewer for over twenty international journals including Science, Biomacromolecules, Journal of Royal Society Interface and Langmuir. Dr. Tang has received many awards, including Alberta Ingenuity New Faculty Award (2009), Early Accomplishment Award by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists in Alberta (2011), Tier II Canada Research Chair (2007 and renewed in 2013), as well as the Adhesion Society’s Distinguished Paper Award (2006) and Outstanding Young Adhesion Scientist Award (2009).
