ChE Seminar Series: Self-assembly and applications of DNA-amphiphiles

Details

Efie Kokkoli, Ph.D.
Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Institute for NanoBioTechnology
Johns Hopkins University

Title: Self-assembly and applications of DNA-amphiphiles

Abstract: Self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules is an attractive method to engineer supramolecular materials for biomedical and other applications. In my group, we focus on the design of ssDNA-amphiphiles and evaluate their tendency to self-assemble spontaneously, as well as their potential to be used for different applications. In this presentation, aspects of the molecular design of ssDNA-amphiphiles that control the formation of functional nanostructures will be discussed, along with potential applications in targeted drug delivery.

Bio: Efie Kokkoli is a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and a member of the Institute for NanoBioTechnology at Johns Hopkins University. Before joining Johns Hopkins, she was a faculty in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science (CEMS) at the University of Minnesota for 15 years. She received her Diploma in Chemical Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with Chip Zukoski. She completed her postdoctoral work with Matt Tirrell at the University of Minnesota, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has received the 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award, the Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award, the Institute of Technology Best Professor in CEMS Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows. Current research interests include DNA nanotechnology, targeted drug and gene delivery, biopolymers and responsive hydrogels.