Zhen Gu, Zhejiang University

Date: 

Thursday, January 21, 2021, 10:00am

Location: 

Zoom

Bioresponsive Drug Delivery

Zhen Gu
Distinguished Professor and Dean
College of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Zhejiang University

Abstract: Spurred by recent advances in materials chemistry, molecular pharmaceutics and nanobiotechnology, stimuli-responsive “smart” systems offer opportunities for precisely delivering drugs in dose-, spatial- and temporal-controlled manners. In this talk, I will discuss our ongoing efforts in developing physiological signal-triggered bioinspired drug delivery systems. I will first present the glucose-responsive synthetic systems for biomimetic delivery of insulin for diabetes treatment. Development of smart insulin patches will be emphasized. I will further discuss the local and targeted delivery of immunomodulatory therapeutics for enhanced cancer therapy. Our latest studies utilizing platelets, cell conjugates and sprayed gels for delivery of immune checkpoint inhibitors will be specifically introduced.

Bio: Dr. Zhen Gu is a Distinguished Professor and Dean of College of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Zhejiang University. Dr. Gu received his B.S. degree in Chemistry and M.S. degree in Polymer Chemistry and Physics from Nanjing University. In 2010, he obtained Ph.D. from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. He was a Postdoctoral Associate working with Dr. Robert Langer at MIT and Harvard Medical School during 2010 to 2012. Before he moved to Zhejiang University in 2020, he was a Full Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Director of the NIH Biotechnology Training in Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Program at UCLA. From 2012 to 2018, he was working in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, where he had been appointed as a Jackson Family Distinguished Professor. Dr. Gu’s group studies controlled drug delivery, biomaterials and cell therapy. He has published over 200 research papers and applied over 100 patents. He is a co-founder of five start-up companies. He is the recipient of the Felix Franks Medal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2019), Young Investigator Award of Controlled Release Society (2017), Sloan Research Fellowship (2016) and Pathway Award of the American Diabetes Association (2015). MIT Technology Review listed him in 2015 as one of the top innovators under the age of 35. He was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) in 2019. Dr. Gu serves as an Associate Editor for Science Advances and Nano Research.