Lewis Lab
Principal Investigator: Jamal S Lewis
Institution: University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)
Primary Subfield: Synthetic Bio
Recruitment Status: ✅ Accepting PhD Students
Research Focus
ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY The Immuno-modulatory Biomaterials Laboratory at the University of Florida focuses on the development of novel biomaterial systems that can manipulate the immune system. Our goal is to design the next generation of immunotherapeutics for applications in immune-related diseases. This multidisciplinary work incorporates aspects of biomaterials engineering, drug delivery, immunology, biochemistry, and cell physiology. One of the main research programs in our lab is understanding controlled vomocytosis (non-lytic exocytosis) of fungal cells from phagocytes. Our primary motivation for elucidation of this process is the development of a hybrid fungal- microparticle system that can accomplish phagocytic cell-mediated delivery of drugs, including vaccines to guarded sites such as the brain and lymph nodes. Phagocytic cells (particularly macrophages [MΦ] and dendritic cells [DCs])) have evolved to circulate through peripheral tissue, engulf foreign particulate matter and traffick to specific tissues. Evidently, phagocytic cells can transport particulate materials from peripheral tissues to lymphatic organs. Typically, following phagocytosis, materials that have been engulf…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R35GM125012-08: Leveraging Engineering Approaches to understand Cryptococcal Vomocytosis from Immune Cells (2026)
- 1R21AI196729-01: Commensal bacteria-derived nanoparticles for correcting gut inflammation (2026)
- 1R56AI194570-01A1: Development of a hybrid biomaterial system for immunotherapy of rheumatoid arthritis (2026)
- 5R35GM125012-07: Leveraging Engineering Approaches to understand Cryptococcal Vomocytosis from Immune Cells (2025)
- 2R35GM125012-06: Leveraging Engineering Approaches to understand Cryptococcal Vomocytosis from Immune Cells (2024)
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