Search
Now showing items 1-10 of 149
Functional characterization of mobilized tumor cells
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Despite being responsible for 90% of cancer mortality, metastasis is not well understood. This thesis is focused on the circulation step of the metastatic cascade, examining three types of mobilized tumor cells: circulating ...
Molecular imaging with engineered physiology
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016)
Using molecular imaging in vivo, biomolecular and cellular phenomena can be investigated within their relevant physiological context, addressing a central challenge for 21st century biomedicine and basic research. To advance ...
Amphiphilic gold nanoparticles: mechanisms for interaction with membranes and applications in drug and vaccine delivery
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Materials that can interact with and transit membranes without toxic bilayer disruption or poration are of great interest in the drug delivery field. These materials can presumably bypass endocytosis to directly enter the ...
Nucleic acid modifications in bacterial pathogens - impact on pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapy
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Nucleic acids are subject to extensive chemical modification by all organisms. These modifications display incredible structural diversity, and some are essential for survival. Intriguingly, several of these modifications ...
Engineering control of eukaryotic translation with application to the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Experimenter control of target gene expression is a fundamental component of molecular biology research. In many systems, tools exist that allow generalizable control of gene expression at the transcriptional or ...
Capsid catalysis : de novo enzymes on viral proteins
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)
Biocatalysis has grown rapidly in recent decades as a solution to the evolving demands of industrial chemical processes. Mounting environmental pressures and shifting supply chains underscore the need for novel chemical ...
Synthetic biology approaches for engineering diverse bacterial species
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016)
When engineers control gene expression, cells can be re-programmed to create living therapeutics or materials by initiating expression of biosynthetic pathways in response to specific signals. In this thesis, two new genetic ...
Arming adoptively transferred T-cells with drug-loaded nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016)
In adoptive cell therapy (ACT), autologous tumor-specific T-cells isolated from cancer patients or genetically engineered lymphocytes are activated and expanded ex vivo, then infused back into the individual to eliminate ...
New protein engineering approaches for potentiating and studying antibody-based EGFR antagonism
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019)
A variety of cancers are marked by the over-expression and over-activity of the EGF receptor (EGFR), rendering this protein an attractive therapeutic target. Anti-EGFR therapeutics are a mainstay of clinical practice for ...
CRISPRi screens to identify combination therapies for the improved treatment of ovarian cancer
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2021)
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States, with only modest improvements in patient survival in the past few decades. Standard-of-care consists of surgical debulking followed ...