The Shukla Laboratory for Designer Biomaterials

What a wonderful start to Thanksgiving week! Our newest Shukla Lab PhD, Dr. Zhaowei (Zoey) Jiang, did an amazing job defending her thesis today! We are so proud of you and all of your accomplishments, Dr. Jiang! Up next, Pfizer! Brown University Institute for Biology, Engineering, and Medicine, Brown University Engineering, Brown University

Excited to share our work on fungal enzyme responsive drug delivery! We present hydrogels with on-demand release of liposomal antifungals triggered by Candida spp. Congratulations to authors Noel Vera, Carly Deusenbery, and Ronnie LaMastro!! ... Brown University, Brown University Engineering, Brown University Institute for Biology, Engineering, and Medicine

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adhm.202401157

Another great summer of undergraduate research in the books! Congratulations, Jamiley Avila (mentored by Carolina Gomez), Jared Sonkin (mentored by Alec McCall), and Julia Patterson (mentored by Zoey Jiang)...Brown University Brown University Engineering Brown University Institute for Biology, Engineering, and Medicine

Adding to this week's successes, Carolina Gomez Casas did an outstanding job on her qualification exam presentation! Congratulations on becoming the newest PhD Candidate in the Shukla Lab! Brown University Institute for Biology, Engineering, and Medicine, Brown University Engineering, Brown University

A big congratulations to the Shukla Lab's next Ph.D. Candidate, Camila Carvalho! She did an excellent job on passing her qualification exam today! Brown University Engineering, Brown University Institute for Biology, Engineering, and Medicine, Brown University

Combating bacterial infections via engineered materials to modulate the immune system is of increasing interest to us. Therefore, we dove deep into the literature to make a mini review paper that was spearheaded by second year PhD student Carolina Gomez! https://doi.org/10.3389/fbiom.2023.1336842

Brown University Institute for Biology, Engineering, and Medicine, Brown University Engineering, Brown University

Engineering immunomodulatory biomaterials to combat bacterial infections Modulating the immune system using engineered materials is an emerging strategy to combat bacterial infections. Bacteria adopt immune evasion strategies to ensure their survival, ultimately leading to persistence and recurrence of infections. With a rise in antimicrobial resistance and a decrease in...

2nd paper in a row for lab alumna Carly Deusenbery, Synergy of Antibiotics and Antibiofilm Agents against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms! Congrats to other authors, lab alumna Olivia Carneiro and Brown undergraduate Carleigh Oberkfell. Here we examined antibiotics and antibiofilm agents against MRSA biofilms, identifying several synergistic combinations. Brown University Engineering, Brown University Center for Biomedical Engineering, Brown University, American Chemical Society

Synergy of Antibiotics and Antibiofilm Agents against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are some of the most common antibiotic-resistant infections, often exacerbated by the formation of biofilms. Here, we evaluated six compounds, three common antibiotics used against MRSA and three antibiofilm compounds, in nine combination...

Congratulations to lab alumna Carly Deusenbery and Ph.D. student Carolina Gomez Casas on their recent paper, pH-Responsive Swelling Micelles for the Treatment of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms published in American Chemical Society Applied Materials and Interfaces! Here we investigate how pH-responsive micelles swell in acidic biofilm conditions to enhance the disruption of MRSA biofilms. Brown University Engineering, Brown University Center for Biomedical Engineering, Brown University

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.3c01307

Last week our undergraduates presented their summer research at various symposiums. We are proud of them and excited to see what their future holds! Great job to mentors Akram Abbasi and Alec McCall

Congratulations to Biotechnology student Olivia Carneiro and Biomedical Engineering student Yamini Singh (co-advised with the Coulombe Lab) on their successful masters thesis defense!!

Congratulations to the newest Ph.D. from the Shukla Lab, Dr. Carly Deusenbery! She had an awesome and successful thesis defense!🦠👩‍🔬

Excited to share recent work from Ph.D. candidate Ronnie LaMastro, 'Antifungal liposomes: Lipid saturation and cholesterol concentration impact interaction with fungal and mammalian cells' published in Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A! Link:

Antifungal liposomes: Lipid saturation and cholesterol concentration impact interaction with fungal and mammalian cells Liposomes are lipid-based nanoparticles that have been used to deliver encapsulated drugs for a variety of applications, including treatment of life-threatening fungal infections. By understanding th...