This National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Program project grant awarded to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) provides $429,384 in funding to study how drug nanoparticles adhered to leukocyte (white blood cell) surfaces influence their mechanical properties and movement through microscale blood vessel networks. The 5-year research effort, from March 2024 to February 2029, will use a combination of biophysical models and microfluidic experiments to generate fundamental knowledge and design principles for engineering cellular drug carriers. The project aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which nanoparticle properties like size, shape, rigidity, and adhesion strength modulate leukocyte deformability and transport in blood microcirculation, with the goal of improving the targeted delivery of drug payloads to sites of inflammation. The research findings will be disseminated through educational outreach programs and public science communications. No federal grant sub-awards are planned under this project.
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