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BIOE Seminar: Pathology Driven Approaches to Treatment of Neurological Disorders Jessica Larsen (Clemson University) Login details will be sent to current BIOE faculty, affiliates, students, postdocs, and those who have previously asked to subscribe to our seminars listserv. If you do not currently receive our weekly seminars emails but you wish to attend this event, please email Alyssa Tomlinson (awolice@umd.edu).
According to the World Health Organization, neurologic disorders account for the largest global burden through both early mortality and loss of independent life due to disability. Although there is a clear need for treatments that can enter the brain, there are a very limited number of medications available on the market. A major contributor to this fact is the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which prevents passage of more than 98% of small molecule therapeutics from the blood into the brain tissue. The Larsen Lab works on polymeric biomaterials-based approaches to either bypass the BBB or transport payloads through the BBB. By understanding the pathophysiology of each disease, polymeric biomaterials can be created to respond specifically to disease-based stimuli. As one example, the Larsen Lab uses enzyme-responsive polymersomes to deliver active enzyme beta-galactosidase to the brain in the treatment of genetic disease, GM1 Gangliosidosis. Simultaneously, the Larsen Lab develops temperature and pH-responsive hydrogels capable of spinal cord or intracranially injection to promote healing microenvironments in the case of neurologic injury. In this presentation, Dr. Larsen will provide detailed examples of her current, most successful approaches. About the Speaker Professor Jessica Larsen began her academic career at the University of Virginia, obtaining her BS in Chemical Engineering in 2012. She obtained her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University where she was able to perform research under Drs. Mark Byrne in Chemical Engineering and Doug Martin in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Professor Larsen is the research mentor for five PhD students, and as many as 20 undergraduate students a semester. In her undergraduate mentoring efforts, she has received the Phil and Mary Bradley Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry. She was also selected as the 2021 Outstanding Faculty Woman at Clemson University. She received the NSF CAREER Award in the Spring of 2021. Personally, Professor Larsen is engaged in the local community as a Cross-Country coach at Seneca High School. This past fall, her team won the state championship in Cross Country for the third year in a row. She’s also a volunteer teacher in the two-year-old room at NewSpring Church in Anderson.
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