S. Thai Thayumanavan

Condensed Biography:

Postdoctoral Fellow, California Institute of Technology (1996–1999)
PhD, University of Illinois (1996)
MSc, The American College, India (1989)
BSc, The American College, India (1987)

Affiliations:

Director, Center for Bioactive Delivery, Institute for Applied Life Sciences
Faculty, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Faculty, Graduate Program in Molecular & Cellular Biology
Faculty, Center for Bioactive Delivery, Institute for Applied Life Sciences
Faculty, Models to Medicine, Institute for Applied Life Sciences
Faculty, Materials Science and Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program

Research Interests: 

We are interested in creating novel polymer-based molecular assemblies and bioconjugates to impact human health. In the area of polymeric assemblies, we are developing novel nanogels that are responsive to specific microenvironments, such as pathological cellular environments. Such a capability, combined with our ability to conjugate biomacromolecules such as antibodies on to these nanogels, has resulted in the development of sophisticated delivery systems for hydrophobic small molecule drugs and biologics such as proteins and RNA. Similarly, we have been interested in developing bioconjugates to achieve targeted protein degradation of intracellular and extracellular proteins. Our focus on first-principle based molecular design, synthesis, self-assembly, and triggered disassembly has resulted in realizing far-reaching implications in a variety of areas, including therapeutic delivery, sensing and diagnostics. The intellectual starting point of our work is the novel molecular design, which is either inspired by a specific gap in the fundamental understanding of supramolecular assembly and disassembly events or driven by an unmet need in human health.