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Current Activities: While chemotherapy
for the treatment of tumors has advanced in recent years, its lack of specificity
leads to lower treatment efficacy and higher side effects than might be desirable.
Targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to tumors seeks to address both of these
limitations by providing enhanced tumor exposure to drugs while minimizing the systemic
effects. Our lab is working on developing a variety of targeted tumor treatments,
such as biodegradable implants to be placed directly into tumors as well as
nanoparticles (micelles and liposomes) that have enhanced tumor uptake.
To properly evaluate these therapies, we are seeking to develop a new set
of imaging tools that can rapidly provide insight into intelligent device design.
Particularly, I am seeking to develop combined computed tomography/single photon
emission tomography (CT/SPECT) to simultaneously monitor tumor anatomical and
physiological response to both types of targeted therapies. The perspective
gained from these studies should then fuel the development of a new generation of
targeted therapies.
Why Case? I chose Case for two major reasons: strong
integration between the BME department and the medical school and the faculty´s
wholehearted commitment to educating students at all stages of career development.
The engineering faculty members regularly collaborate with both basic science and
clinical researchers, and the medical perspective so often needed in BME research
is merely a short walk across the street. Moreover, the Case faculty demonstrated
a true caring not only about the course of my graduate study but in my development
as a career researcher and a person.
Advice for Applicants: When I was applying to graduate
schools, it felt like it was such a serious decision that it would have far reaching
repercussions for the rest of my life. In light of that, the best advice someone
gave me was that choosing a graduate school is not a life or death decision, you can
always change your mind, and that no matter where you go you are likely to have a
successful career. However, you should choose a school where you are best positioned
to grow into an independent researcher and individual. To me, this means a place
where you get the most individual guidance from your mentor and where the people are
truly interested in helping you become a thriving scientist. No matter what the
research topic, I feel like as long as you have this guidance you´ll be great in any
number of fields.
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