Lananh W
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of Rochester
Expertise
Gene therapy, Organ-on-chip, regenerative medicine, precision medicine, molecular biology, immunology, microbiology, biomaterials, tissue engineering
Bio
My name is Lana, and I'm a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, where I work on developing innovative therapeutic formulations. I earned my bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University and my Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester. During my doctoral research, I developed novel platforms to mimic the lung and investigate the pathogenesis of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Using these models, I evaluated and screened potential therapeutics, ranging from drug formulations to gene therapy, to explore new treatments for ARDS. My experience spans multiple areas of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, including biomaterial development for 3D bioprinting applications, cell line optimization for drug production, and the development of novel drug formulations. I have also worked with advanced therapeutics, including CAR-T cell therapies and antibody-based drugs for cancer treatment. I am passionate about advancing science and innovation to help make the pharmaceutical industry more patient-centric, bridging the gap between scientific discoveries and meaningful patient outcomes. Outside of the lab, I enjoy exploring my creative and adventurous sides. I am a self-taught painter (ask me about my oil paintings), a passionate home cook, and an avid hiker.Project ideas
The Future of CAR-T Cell Therapies
This project focuses on examining the current advancements in the field of CAR-T cell therapies. In this type of immunotherapy, the patient's own T cells are engineered to target and kill disease cells, specifically cancer cells. While there are many advancements in the field and this type of treatment has proven successful in eradicating several types of cancers, there are many challenges to bringing this closer to the patients, including the limitation in types of cancer, safety, and cost. In this project, you will perform scientific research by learning about the therapy, evaluating existing treatment approaches and their pros and cons, and discussing the next steps required further to advance the field from your own points of view. During this project, you will learn many scientific research skills, including but not limited to information collection from scientific journals, clinical thinking, scientific writing, and data presentation. This project format is flexible, you could write a scientific review paper, create a databank, or even generate a podcast to share your knowledge and opinions with others in the field.
Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Rare Diseases
Rare diseases, such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia, only affect a small percentage of the world’s population. However, this does not diminish their impact on the health and life of many individuals. These diseases often stem from genetic mutations, are complex, and have limited population pools. This makes it extremely challenging for the development of their treatments. Gene therapy offers a direct solution since they can often target the root cause of these diseases and provide long-lasting treatment. In this project, you will examine current stage of gene therapy for application of one or more types of rare disorders. You will discuss the root causes of these diseases and the molecular mechanisms that gene therapy approaches could utilize to target them. During this project, you will learn many scientific research skills, including but not limited to information collection from scientific journals, clinical thinking, scientific writing, and data presentation. This project format is flexible, you could write a scientific review paper, create a databank, or even generate a podcast to share your knowledge and opinions with others in the field.
Organ-on-chip: Minimizing the use of animal models in preclinical research
Currently, animal models are often used to study and develop drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. While these models have provided valuable information, they are often bad representations of the human body and linked to high failure in dosage optimization. Organ-on-chip are multicompartmental devices that mimic organs in the human body using human cells. They can provide better insight to diseases and more accurate information regarding drug reactions. In this project, you will be able to choose an organ or disease that you are passionate about and learn about organ-on-chip platforms available for them. After learning about them, you will evaluate what you think may be their advantages and disadvantages and discuss potential solutions to improving them. You could also focus on a single key aspect of the organ-on-chip, such as fluid flow, and examine how they can be different in different organs. Those are just a few of the ideas, but this project format can be highly flexible. You could write a scientific review paper, create a mathematical model of microfluidic components in the chip (such as blood flow in the capillary for a heart-on-chip), or generate a databank of parameters relevant to the organ-on-chip. During this project, you will learn many scientific research skills, including but not limited to information collection from scientific journals, clinical thinking, scientific writing, and data presentation. P.S.: The illustration is from my own lung-on-chip project!
