Our research focuses on engineering biological and nanoscale systems that provide greater control over where, when, and how therapeutic activity occurs in vivo. We integrate genome engineering, nanotechnology, biomaterials, immunoengineering, and magnetic control to address fundamental barriers in therapeutic delivery. Across our research programs, we seek to move beyond passive targeting toward technologies that actively regulate therapeutic function at disease sites.
Research Engineering technologies for spatial control, targeted delivery, and therapy
Engineering control over therapeutic activity
Spatially Controlled Genome Editing for Cancer Immunotherapy
Therapeutic genome editing requires control not only over where editing systems are delivered, but also where they remain biologically active. We develop magnetically activatable delivery platforms that combine external magnetic control with biological gating to confine genome-editing activity to selected disease sites.
Our current work uses this strategy to engineer localized cancer immunotherapy. Magnetically activated baculoviral vectors deliver CRISPR machinery to tumors, while complement-mediated inactivation limits activity outside the target site. By coupling localized editing of immune-regulatory genes with the immunostimulatory properties of the platform, we aim to reshape the tumor microenvironment and enhance antitumor immunity.
Magnetic activation promotes genome-editing activity at the tumor, while complement-mediated inactivation suppresses activity outside the target site.
Engineered Extracellular Vesicles
Extracellular vesicles offer a biologically derived platform for transporting therapeutic cargo, but their broader use is limited by challenges in production, loading, targeting, and delivery efficiency. We develop engineering strategies to regulate vesicle production and create scalable systems for therapeutic delivery.
Our current work focuses on engineering extracellular vesicles to carry nucleic acids, proteins, and genome-editing machinery and improving their delivery across difficult biological barriers. We are particularly interested in tissues such as the brain and bone marrow, where conventional delivery systems remain limited.
Our research examines how cellular engineering and physical cues can regulate extracellular-vesicle production and function.
Magnetic Nanomedicine & Mechanobiology
Magnetic nanoparticles provide unique ways to interact with biological systems through force and heat. We investigate how nanoscale magnetic properties govern these interactions and how they can be engineered for therapeutic control.
Our research spans magnetic-force–mediated regulation of cellular behavior, magnetically triggered transport and delivery, and the physical mechanisms that determine nanoparticle heating under alternating magnetic fields. By connecting nanoparticle structure and dynamics with biological responses, we aim to develop more predictable and effective magnetic technologies for medicine.
Nanoparticle structure and nanoscale magnetic dynamics govern magnetic heating and other biologically relevant responses.
How Our Research Connects
Across these research areas, we combine control of delivery, biological activity, and physical stimulation to create therapeutic systems with greater spatial and functional precision. Genome engineering provides programmable biological function; extracellular vesicles offer adaptable delivery vehicles; and magnetic nanotechnologies provide external control over transport, mechanics, and energy deposition. Together, these approaches support our broader goal of engineering therapies that act selectively at disease sites while limiting unintended activity elsewhere.
From delivery to activation, we engineer control at multiple levels of therapeutic function.
Selected Related Publications
- Yang et al. Spatial control of genome editing activity enables localized immunotherapy. bioRxiv, 2026.
- Kubican et al. Stochastic Nanoscale Magnetic Dynamics Govern Multiscale Heating in Magnetic Nanoparticles. Nano Letters, 2026.
- Yang et al. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles enhance exosome production by upregulating exosome transport and secretion pathways. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2024.
- Tong et al. Engineered materials for in vivo delivery of genome-editing machinery. Nature Reviews Materials, 2019.
- Zhu et al. Spatial control of in vivo CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing via nanomagnets. Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2019.
- Qiu et al. Magnetic forces enhance targeted drug-delivery by disrupting endothelial cell-cell junctions. Nature Communications, 2017.