Designer Biomaterials for Biologics Delivery

Speaker:

S. Thai Thayumanavan

Department Head/ Professor

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry and Center for Bioactive Delivery

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Abstract:

In this presentation, Professor Thayumanavan will explore the innovative approaches his group employs to develop advanced biomaterials for targeted delivery applications. His research focuses on designing and synthesizing macromolecules inspired by nature’s intricate supramolecular assemblies, such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Central to his team’s work is the creation of nano-assemblies that respond predictably to external stimuli—ranging from pH changes to multi-stimulus environments—enabling diverse responses like targeted molecular release. A key design challenge lies in correlating specific inputs (stimuli) to desired outputs (responses), requiring precise control over molecular structures and properties. By leveraging this relationship, Thayumanavan’s group aims to build versatile materials capable of addressing broad challenges in drug delivery, diagnostics, and sensing. His team’s emphasis on understanding the fundamental structure-property relationships of responsive assemblies allows them to overcome secondary design barriers such as encapsulation stability, drug loading, and biocompatibility in drug delivery applications. A highlight of this work includes the development of novel self-crosslinking polymeric nanogels, which offer enhanced stability for therapeutic delivery, and kinetically-trapped amphiphilic homopolymers designed for complex sensing environments. Through this presentation, Professor Thayumanavan will share the generalized principles that underlie his group’s molecular designs and how these insights are translating into cutting-edge solutions for biologics delivery, diagnostics, and beyond. This talk will appeal to those interested in the intersection of biomaterial design, stimuli-responsive nano-assemblies, and their applications in biomedicine.

Prof. Thayumanavan grew up in the state of Tamil Nadu in India, where he spent his college years in the beautiful temple city of Madurai. He obtained his BS and MS degrees in chemistry from The American College in Madurai. Following this, he obtained his Ph.D. degree working in organolithium chemistry, under the guidance of Prof. Peter Beak at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After a post-doctoral stint with Prof. Seth R. Marder at the California Institute of Technology, working on developing optoelectronic materials, he started his independent career as an Assistant Professor at Tulane University. After four years at Tulane, he moved the lab to the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2003. There he was appointed Director of the Center of Bioactive Delivery in 2014 and became the Department Head in 2021. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a recipient of the Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar Award, which recognizes early-career faculty for their innovative teaching and research.