Elucidating the role of carrier proteins in cytokine stabilization within double emulsion-based polymeric nanoparticles.

Polymeric micro- and nanoparticles are useful vehicles for delivering cytokines to diseased tissues such as solid tumors. Double emulsion solvent evaporation is one of the most common techniques to formulate cytokines into vehicles made from hydrophobic polymers; however, the liquid-liquid interfaces formed during emulsification can greatly affect the stability and therapeutic performance of encapsulated cytokines. To develop more effective cytokine-delivery systems, a clear molecular understanding of the interactions between relevant proteins and solvents used in the preparation of such particles is needed.

An Investigation into Polyester Adsorption onto Alumina toward an Improved Understanding of Hydrogenolysis Catalysts.

Chemical recycling of end-of-life plastic wastes through hydrogenolysis is a promising pathway for achieving a circular plastics economy and reducing overall energy costs. Understanding molecular interactions at the inorganic-organic depolymerization interface is crucial for enhancing catalyst performance and overcoming challenges posed by mixed plastic waste streams. We investigated a fundamental step in the depolymerization process: physisorption of polymers onto the metal oxide support preceding diffusion to and reaction at the catalyst-support junction.

Investigating how HIV-1 antiretrovirals differentially behave as substrates and inhibitors of P-glycoprotein via molecular dynamics simulations.

HIV-1 can rapidly infect the brain upon initial infection, establishing latent reservoirs that induce neuronal damage and/or death, resulting in HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder. Though anti-HIV-1 antiretrovirals (ARVs) suppress viral load, the blood-brain barrier limits drug access to the brain, largely because of highly expressed efflux proteins like P-glycoprotein (P-gp). While no FDA-approved P-gp inhibitor currently exists, HIV-1 protease inhibitors show promise as partial P-gp inhibitors, potentially enhancing drug delivery to the brain.