BioE COLLOQUIA SERIES: "Fighting Cancer With Spider Silk and Other Nanoparticles"
Event details
| Date | 30.09.2019 |
| Hour | 12:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Carole Bourquin, University of Geneva, CH |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
WEEKLY BIOENGINEERING COLLOQUIA SERIES
(sandwiches served)
About the talk:
Carole Bourquin and her group focus on novel bioinspired strategies for the targeting of the immune system to treat cancer. The group investigates how nanoparticles of different types can be used to mimic bacteria or viruses in order to trigger immunity in cancer patients. The nanoparticles are first screened for potential toxicity or functional effects on immune cells. They are then loaded with immune-modulating drugs and selected for their capacity to trigger immune responses. Finally, their potential to block tumor growth is examined. Prof. Bourquin will describe how bioengineered particles made from spider silk can serve as vaccine, and how gold nanoparticles can impact immune responses.
References:
Bio:
Carole Bourquin studied medicine in Geneva, Switzerland, then moved to the Max-Planck Institute of Neuroimmunology in Munich to perform her PhD. She set up her own research group in cancer immunotherapy at the Division of Clinical Pharmacology in Munich and at the same time headed the clinical consultations of the division. In 2011, she returned to Switzerland as full professor of pharmacology at the University of Fribourg, where she joined the NCCR Bioinspired Nanomaterials from 2014 to 2018. There, she developed highly productive collaborations to study novel nanomaterial-based delivery systems for immunotherapy. In addition, she built and headed the Unit of Clinical Pharmacology at the Fribourg Cantonal Hospital, and was president of the hospital drug commission. Since August 2016, Carole Bourquin is full professor of pharmacology at the University of Geneva. Her pioneering research in immuno-oncology is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, Oncosuisse and the European research program Horizon 2020. She is a member of several scientific networks, including the European training network IMMUTRAIN.
Zoom link for attending remotely: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/941417884
(sandwiches served)
About the talk:
Carole Bourquin and her group focus on novel bioinspired strategies for the targeting of the immune system to treat cancer. The group investigates how nanoparticles of different types can be used to mimic bacteria or viruses in order to trigger immunity in cancer patients. The nanoparticles are first screened for potential toxicity or functional effects on immune cells. They are then loaded with immune-modulating drugs and selected for their capacity to trigger immune responses. Finally, their potential to block tumor growth is examined. Prof. Bourquin will describe how bioengineered particles made from spider silk can serve as vaccine, and how gold nanoparticles can impact immune responses.
References:
- Mottas I.; et al, Amphiphilic nanoparticle delivery enhances the anticancer efficacy of a TLR7 ligand via local immune activation, Biomaterials, 2019
- Lucke M., et al., Engineered hybrid spider silk particles as delivery system for peptide vaccines, Biomaterials, 2018
- Hočevar S, et al. Polymer-Coated Gold Nanospheres Do Not Impair the Innate Immune Function of Human B Lymphocytes in Vitro, ACS Nano. 2019
Bio:
Carole Bourquin studied medicine in Geneva, Switzerland, then moved to the Max-Planck Institute of Neuroimmunology in Munich to perform her PhD. She set up her own research group in cancer immunotherapy at the Division of Clinical Pharmacology in Munich and at the same time headed the clinical consultations of the division. In 2011, she returned to Switzerland as full professor of pharmacology at the University of Fribourg, where she joined the NCCR Bioinspired Nanomaterials from 2014 to 2018. There, she developed highly productive collaborations to study novel nanomaterial-based delivery systems for immunotherapy. In addition, she built and headed the Unit of Clinical Pharmacology at the Fribourg Cantonal Hospital, and was president of the hospital drug commission. Since August 2016, Carole Bourquin is full professor of pharmacology at the University of Geneva. Her pioneering research in immuno-oncology is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, Oncosuisse and the European research program Horizon 2020. She is a member of several scientific networks, including the European training network IMMUTRAIN.
Zoom link for attending remotely: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/941417884
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Prof. Li Tang, EPFL
Contact
- Institute of Bioengineering (IBI), Christina Mattsson