Scott earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. While at Georgia Tech, Scott worked with Professor Niren Murthy developing drug delivery platforms for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, cranial re-synostosis, acute lung injury, and osteoarthritis.
As a postdoc in Professor Jeffery A. Hubbell’s Laboratory, Scott’s research focused on the synthesis and preclinical validation of biomaterials-based subunit vaccines that elicit cellular immunity against infections and malignancy, as well as disease-modifying inverse vaccines for autoimmunity.
In 2020, Scott joined the Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering Department as an assistant professor.
Our laboratory takes a multifaceted approach to study and manipulate glycosylation, the addition of complex sugars to the cell surface. Our goals are to better understand human disease while forwarding carbohydrate-based therapies. By controlling the type and level of glycosylation through “metabolic glycoengineering,” we are learning how glycosylation affects a cell’s fate and environmental interactions. We also study the impact of magnetic fields on cell signaling.
Featured article
Cancer Research: Your Cells’ Sugar Diet
For Kevin Yarema, research is sweet.
Yarema, an associate professor in Biomedical Engineering, has focused much of his efforts on metabolic glycoengineering — the ability to manipulate cells’ natural process of ingesting sugars and converting them into complex sugar structures that cover the cell surface.
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Leveraging cutting-edge technologies in structural biology and molecular design, we are pioneering a unique structure-based engineering approach to elucidate the determinants of protein activity to inform therapeutic development. We are particularly interested in engineering immune proteins, such as cytokines, growth factors, and antibodies, to bias the immune response for targeted disease treatment.
Featured article
Researchers enhance the function of natural proteins using ‘protein Legos’
Jonathan Deutschman/Published Sep 14
Johns Hopkins engineers have helped develop and characterize an artificial protein that triggers the same response in the human body as its natural counterpart—a breakthrough that not only has the potential to facilitate the design of drugs to accelerate healing but also sheds light on the mechanisms behind various diseases.
Jamie Spangler is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, with a joint appointment in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, at Johns Hopkins University. Through her pioneering research in the fields of immunoengineering and biomolecular engineering, Spangler aims to expand the repertoire of protein therapeutics for treating disease. Her current work focuses on redesigning naturally occurring proteins and engineering new molecules to overcome the deficiencies of existing drugs.
Director, Institute for NanoBioTechnology Professor, Materials Science & Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
Our lab specializes in engineering nanomaterials for delivery of therapeutics and vaccines, regenerative medicine, and stem cell engineering applications. We aim to enhance nanoparticles’ efficacy as gene and vaccine delivery vehicles and develop scalable methods for synthesizing self-assembled nanoparticles—while controlling their shape, size and surface properties. We also use biomaterial platforms to influence stem cell fate and promote tissue regeneration.
Featured article
Antibiotic Coating Prevents Orthopaedic Joint Infections in Animals
The incidents are rare, but the repercussions can be grave: Every year, about 1 to 2 percent of people undergoing hip and knee replacements in the U.S. end up with surgery-related bacterial infections. In a worst-case scenario, the infection continues for months and the patient requires a new prosthesis.
The Hillel Laboratory investigates laryngotracheal stenosis, or scar formation in the airway. Specifically, we are examining the interrelationship between genetics, the immune system, bacteria and scar formation. The lab has developed unique models to study laryngotracheal stenosis and to test drugs and delivery methods—including a drug-releasing stent—that may halt the progression of or reverse scar formation.
Featured article
Comprehensive Treatment of Laryngotracheal Stenosis
One night in October 2013, when Kinzie Landers was 14 years old, her parents rushed her to the local emergency room near their home in Texas as she was sliding into a coma. Unaware that their daughter had type 1 diabetes, her parents listened helplessly as doctors explained that they’d need to intubate her. She was minutes away from losing the ability to breathe on her own.
