BioE PhD Proposal Presentation- Tae Hee Yoon

TaeHee Yoon

BioE Ph.D. Proposal Presentation

May 9, 2025

10:30 AM -12:30 PM

Location: IBB Suddath Seminar Room 1128

https://gatech.zoom.us/j/95124754456

Meeting ID: 951 2475 4456 

Advisor: Susan N. Thomas, Ph.D. (Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology) 

Committee:

Julie Champion, Ph.D. (School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology)

J. Brandon Dixon, Ph.D. (Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology)

M.G. Finn, Ph.D. (School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology)

Shuichi Takayama, Ph.D. (Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology)

Engineering microphysiological lymphatic tissue models to advance drug delivery and lymphatic medicine

The lymphatic system plays a critical role in immune regulation, fluid balance, and the transport of therapeutics. However, the effectiveness of lymphatic-targeted drug delivery is often limited by off-target effects and poor retention. Nanoparticles, synthetic or natural carriers typically ranging from tens to several hundreds of nanometers in size, hold promise for improving specificity and therapeutic outcomes, yet their interactions with the lymphatic system are not well understood. To address this, there is an unmet need for precisely engineered physiological models that replicate the lymphatic microenvironment. Accordingly, the overall objective of this research is to engineer microphysiological models of lymphatic tissue to study nanoparticle transport and drug release dynamics. The central hypothesis is that biomimetic lymphatic architectures will enable detailed analysis of nanoparticle behavior and mechanisms relevant to drug and vaccine delivery. Specifically, I will (Aim 1) develop a lymphatic microphysiological platform that recapitulates key structural and functional features of lymph node sinus floor and the paracortex, enabling controlled study of various nanoparticles transport behaviors and cellular engagement under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions; and (Aim 2) engineer a microfluidic platform mimicking the interstitial space between a therapeutic depot and initial lymphatics to investigate the release dynamics of different therapeutic formulations and their effects on lymphatic vessels’ function from various species. Overall, this work will improve our predictive understanding of lymphatic-targeted therapies and support the rational design of nanomedicines for applications in vaccine delivery, cancer immunotherapy, and lymphatic disorders such as lymphedema.