Nanomaterials have tremendous potential in biology because of their unique properties, and most importantly their size similarity to biological components. Our research examines a broad variety of nanomaterials from polymer fibers and imprinted hydrogels to organic and inorganic nanoparticles. First, the potential for nanostructured materials in tissue engineering will be discussed in the context of disease models. Specifically, we have developed materials that mimic topographical and chemical features of the brain and used these materials to evaluate migration of glioma brain cancer cells. Nanostructured materials offer unique insight into cell behaviors that cannot be obtained using two dimensional cell culture models. Next, discussion will be expanded to particle-based platforms for imaging and drug delivery. Specifically, micelle-based nanocomposites consisting of polymer amphiphile and a hydrophobic cargo will be explored. Quantum dot-micelle composites, known as MultiDots, can be used in clinical diagnostic imaging applications. For example, the relative expression levels of a cell surface biomarker can be determined. The ability to create MultiDots in a variety of colors permits these signals to be multiplexed for simultaneous detection of multiple markers. Magnetic quantum dot-micelle composites, known as MagDots, can be used to isolate specific rare cells or biomolecules from small volumes of solution enhancing the diagnostic potential of this platform; and polymer-micelle nanocomposites provide the opportunity for drug delivery and treatment. Finally, we will discuss the combination of these platforms with biological systems for dynamic motion to create nanomachines that will engineer the next generation of nanomaterials in a nanofactory-inspired assembly line.
Dr. Jessica Winter is an Associate Professor in the William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChE) and the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) and Associate Director of the MRSEC Center for Emergent Materials at the Ohio State University. She received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Innovative Visual Rehabilitation, a collaborative effort between the Boston VA Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2004-2006.
Dr. Winter joined the faculty at Ohio State University in 2006, where her research has centered on two themes: nanoparticle synthesis and assembly and neural biomimetic materials. In the area of nanoparticle synthesis and assembly, Winter’s work has focused primarily on quantum dots and magnetic quantum dots that have applications in multimodal imaging, cell and molecular separations, and molecular diagnostics. She and her collaborators have developed a scalable nanomanufacturing process for nanoparticle synthesis that combines top-down and bottom-up assembly processes. This work culminated in the formation of a company, Core Quantum Technologies, to commercialize these materials for clinical diagnostics. She has been recognized for these commercialization efforts by the OSU 2012 Early Career Innovator Award and was named 2012 TechColumbus Innovator of the Year. In the area of biomimetic materials, Dr. Winter’s research group is developing materials that mimic white matter and extracellular matrix in brain to elucidate the roles of these materials as cancer cell migration highways. In this context, she is examining the effects of soluble factor delivery (i.e., chemokines) and cell adhesion molecules (i.e., collagen) on cancer cell migration. Her work has been recognized by several awards (i.e., Dreyfus foundation-American Chemical Society Rising Star Award, OSU Lumley Research and Harrison Awards).
