CSE Rising to the Moment Lecture Series "Polymers can do wonders: From vaccine delivery to cancer therapy"
Register now for the first installment in the College of Science and Engineering’s new public lecture series, Rising to the Moment, featuring biomedical engineering associate professor Chun Wang, whose polymer “wafer” technology, when placed under the tongue, can effectively deliver and preserve protein-based vaccines. The research could open the door for vaccines that can be more easily produced and distributed to communities around the world.
Register for the Zoom webinar!
Lecture is free and open to the public. Zoom log-in instructions will be included in your confirmation email.
About the Talk
Polymers are strange molecules. They are like long strands of microscopic spaghetti, wiggling, entangling, only as thin as one millionth of a human hair. Dr. Wang’s lab focuses on exploiting the amazing structure and properties of polymers to address some of the most pressing needs in medicine. Examples of the lab’s ongoing research include “polymer wafers” that preserve protein vaccines without refrigeration and deliver them under the tongue without a needle; “biodegradable liquid polymers” that release cancer therapeutics with the right dose at the right time; and “polymer drills” that punch holes in the membrane of cancer cells. Dr. Wang and his collaborators hope that these technologies will ultimately make healthcare more effective, safer, affordable, and accessible to all.
About the Speaker
Chun Wang received his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Supported by an individual National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), he conducted postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining the faculty of the University of Minnesota in 2004. He is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
His research interest is in polymer-based therapeutic biomaterials with applications in controlled drug delivery, immunotherapy, medical devices, and regenerative medicine. He has published 100 peer-reviewed articles and reviews and has given over 120 invited talks. He served on the editorial board of the Journal of Controlled Release (2006-2016) and is currently an editorial board member of Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews (since 2010), Pharmaceutics (since 2021), and an Associate Editor for Delivery Systems and Controlled Release, a section within Frontiers in Biomaterials Science.
Questions? Contact Joelle Larson, CSE Director of Alumni Relations at jblarson@umn.edu or 612-626-1802.