Vaccine Development
The Putnam Lab is engineering a new vaccine adjuvant system utilizing bacterially derived outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). Current projects involve vaccines to protect against influenza and listeria, and developing OMVs with targeted effects.
Controlled Drug Delivery
Controlled release systems are being developed to improve targeting to specific cell types. Projects include targeting drugs to the blood brain barrier and targeting drugs to chemotherapeutic-resistant cancers.
Biomimetic Polymers
Polymers such as dihydroxyacetone (DHA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) are being used to create biomimetic polymers. These polymers are being exploited to create diverse products, such as hemostatic agents and synthetic lubricin.