Awarded in 2020
Home Department: Materials Science & Engineering
Faculty Advisors: Eric Appel (Materials Science & Engineering) and Peter Kim (Biochemistry)

Research Title: Injectable Supramolecular Hydrogels for Sustained Delivery of Antibodies against HIV

Research Description: Over 1.5 million people contracted HIV in 2018 alone. While HIV treatments have improved, there is still not an effective HIV vaccine available to prevent the spread of the disease. Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against HIV have been developed, but their half-lives are typically too short to allow them to be a feasible preventative strategy. Catherine’s project will develop a drug delivery platform to administer bNAbs against HIV to prevent virus acquisition by way of passive immunization. Catherine’s interdisciplinary approach of integrating materials science, bioengineering, biochemistry, and immunology will leverage injectable supramolecular hydrogels as the delivery mechanism to extend the pharmacokinetics of novel antibody and protein drugs to protect against HIV.

WHERE IS SHE NOW?

Catherine is a senior scientist at Donaldson Company, Inc.