Dr. Srivatsan Kidambi, associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Engineering, UNL, will present the seminar “Disease in a Dish: Engineering Tissue Environment to Recreate Snapshots of Disease Progression”.

Dr. Kidambi’s group researches on developing in vitro models of tissues (cancer, liver, brain, cardiac) to understand the role of the tissue microenvironment on disease progression. His lab also focuses on engineering liposome based nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicle for miRNA and small drug molecule targeted delivery. Kidambi’s group published the first study demonstrating the need for physical intimacy between stromal cells and tumor cells to develop drug resistance pathways (Nature Scientific Reports, 2015). Also his group has developed in vitro tissue engineering models of liver and brain that mimics the in vivo physiology (RSC Advances, 2016; Nanoscale, 2015; PNAS, 2010; Adv Func Materials, 2008). His lab is also interested in developing miRNA based therapeutics and have published innovative drug delivery platforms capable of temporal and spatial releases of drug combinations (Oncotarget, 2016; J Biomed Nanotech, 2016; Nature Scientific Reports, 2015). His lab also has three patents in the works demonstrating the translational viability of the platforms developed in our lab. In 2015, he was selected for the UNL Emerging Innovator Award.