Lananh H
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of Rochester
Expertise
Gene therapy, Organ-on-chip, regenerative medicine, precision medicine, molecular biology, immunology, microbiology, biomaterials, tissue engineering
Bio
I am a scientist with an ambition is to help drive the pharmaceutical industry toward precision medicine. I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. David Dean at the University of Rochester. My research work focuses on gene therapy for the treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Prior to my Ph.D. education, I worked as a scientist in drug product development, specifically developing cell lines for the production of protein therapeutics, at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson.Project ideas
The Future of CAR-T Cell Therapies
In this project, you will learn about how novel Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T immunotherapy is translated from laboratory research setting to clinics. Despite its strong efficacy in treating cancer, there are many challenges in commercializing and delivering the therapies to patients safely. Through extensive research of relevant literature and clinical trial data, you will write a scientific review paper about the following topics: - CAR-T structure and mechanism of actions – How does it really work? - Treatment-related toxicities of the therapies – What must be done to ensure patient safety? - Pharmaceutical development of CAR-T: Challenges in fitting CAR-T development process into conventional drug discovery and development paradigm - Limitations of CAR-T therapies in targeting solid tumor - The future of CAR-T – What innovations are required to unlock the full potential of CAR-T? Additional information: The primary goals for this project are to: (1) provide students with scientific research skills, including critical analysis of primary literature; (2) foster interdisciplinary thinking in translational science; and (3) help students to master knowledge critical to sustaining a career in pharmaceutical development.
The Effectiveness of Current ARDS Treatments
In this project, you will create a podcast series to educate listeners about Acutes Respiratory Distress Syndromes (ARDS). A large segments of American public are not trained scientists; therefore, you must translate what you learned through extensive literature research to explain difficult topics about ARDS to the general population without oversimplifying them. Research topics may include: 1. What is ARDS and what causes ARDS? 2. How do doctors diagnose ARDS? 3. Current treatment, pros and cons 4. How is our immune system involved in ARDS? 5. Is ARDS preventable? 6. Current innovations in ARDS research and treatment Additional information: You must establish criteria for this podcast (targeted audience, duration, style, etc.) based on your personal interest to create the best vehicle for public learning.
Microfluidics - The Future of Drug Discovery and Development
The key issues in drug discovery and development are the time and resources required for analytical testing in vitro and in vivo. In this project, you will research about current advances in microfluidic devices for use in drug screening and how they can replace traditional testing methods while providing higher throughput and more biologically relevant platforms. Your project could be in the form of a review paper or a hands-on microfluidic construction project using resources available to you.
