Nanomedicine and Molecular Systems Bioengineering Laboratory

My research group utilizes engineering tools and paradigms to advance novel therapeutic approaches to challenging conditions. A major focus of the group is on development and applications of nanomedicine. I have been working for over twenty years on, and my group has made major contributions to, the science of oligonucleotide design and delivery for antisense and siRNA-based gene silencing. This work has spanned fundamental studies of polymer-oligonucleotide self-assembly and nanoparticle-cell interactions to translational applications in cancer and heterotopic ossification. Over the last decade, I have worked with a multiple PI team at Rutgers on the development of a nanotechnology-enabled optical imaging approach and its application to identifying tumors and metastases at the earliest stages before they can grow and do harm. Several high-profile papers have emerged from this work, including ones published in Nature Communications and Nature Biomedical Engineering. In recent years, the Roth group has adapted their “smart polymer” approach from oligonucleotide delivery and applied it to development of advanced formulations for cationic antimicrobial peptides and aminoglycosides. Current work advances the development of nanostructured hydrogels for controlled drug release in wound settings and aerosolization of drug-containing nanoparticles for lung delivery to treat cystic fibrosis infections. We also integrate engineering modeling and design into our projects. For example, we have developed cell cycle-structured pharmacodynamic models for cancer chemotherapy and are working on pharmacokinetic models tailored to nanomedicines.