BME7900 Seminar Series - Erin Lavik, PhD

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Location

Weill Hall 226

Description

We welcome our next speaker in our series, Dr. Erin Lavik from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Dr.  Lavik is a Professor of Chenical Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, and an Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development in the College of Engineering and Information Technology.

With an Eye for Trauma: Nanomaterials to help Treat Disease and Control Bleeding

Abstract: Young people between 5 and 44 are most likely to die from a trauma, and the primary cause of death will be bleeding out. We have a range of technologies to control external bleeding, but there is a dearth of technologies for internal bleeding.

Following injury, platelets become activated at the injury site. We have designed nanoparticles that are administered intravenously and bind with activated platelets to help form platelet plugs more rapidly. We have investigated the behavior of these particles in a number of in vitro systems to understand their behavior. We have also tested these particles in a number of models of trauma. The particles lead to a reduction in bleeding in models of trauma including models of brain injury, and these particles lead to increased survival and better functional outcomes.

However, this work is not without challenges. Following the successes of these nanoparticles in small animal models of trauma, we tested them in porcine models of trauma. The first generation exacerbated bleeding which we determined was related to complement activation. The second generation led to the formation of thrombi which required a collaboration with data scientists to understand what cytokines and cells correlated with these adverse outcomes.

Along the way, we developed a novel dental resin formulation that inspired a delivery system for the eye, which in turn, inspired the next generation of hemostatic nanocapsules. None of this would have been possible without a fantastic, collaborative team of people willing to look creatively across disciplines.

Ultimately, we hope that this work provides insight and, potentially, a new approach to dealing with internal bleeding as well as with the development of intravenously infused nanotechnologies more broadly.

Bio: Dr. Lavik’s research focuses on engineering polymers to protect and repair the nervous system and treat trauma more broadly. The projects in the lab include developing intravenously administered nanoparticles to stop internal bleeding, drug delivery systems for diseases of the eye, and printing tissue models for high throughput screening applications. She also developed a materials class that teaches materials science in the context of the stories of the scientists who did the work and concepts of social justice. She collaborates with the theater department on a program to train UMBC students to work with middle schoolers to dramatize their science modules. In 2022-2023, Dr. Lavik is on a AAAS Science Policy Fellowship at the Office of Advanced Manufacturing at NIST where she is working on policy around education and workforce development across the 16 manufacturing institutes of Manufacturing USA.