Seminars in Materials Science and Engineering

The department hosts lectures by renowned researchers, authors, and professionals each year.

Current Seminar

Nanoparticle transport and interactions in the kidneys

Jie Zheng, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The University of Texas at Dallas

Jie Zheng

Friday, September 20, 2024, 12:00 - 1:00p.m. NH203

Abstract: The kidney is a crucial organ for rapidly eliminating wastes from the body. Over the past 15 years, the kidney elimination pathway has been increasingly leveraged to minimize the accumulation of engineered nanoparticles in the body and to accelerate their clinical translation as novel diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Despite these advancements, the mechanisms of nanoparticle transport and interaction with different kidney compartments remain largely unexplored at a fundamental level, which is critical for their future clinical success. In this talk, I will present several breakthroughs we have achieved in understanding the fundamental physiological principles that govern glomerular filtration, tubular secretion, transformation, and extrusion of engineered nanoparticles in the kidneys. Additionally, I will demonstrate how these newly discovered principles can be applied to address current challenges in disease diagnosis and treatment, offering insights into their potential clinical applications. (1-7).

  1. J.B. Liu, M.X Yu, C. Zhou, S.Y. Yang, X.H. Ning, and J. Zheng “Passive Tumor Targeting of Renal-Clearable Luminescent Gold Nanoparticles: Long Tumor Retention and Fast Normal Tissue Clearance”, J. Am.Chem. Soc., 2013, 4978
  2. B.J. Du, X.Y Jiang, A. Das, Q.H Zhou, M.Y Yu, R.C Jin, J. Zheng “Glomerular barrier behaves as an atomically precise bandpass filter in a sub-nanometre regime”, Nature Nanotechnology, 2017, 1096
  3. M.X. Yu, J. Xu, J. Zheng, “Renal Clearable Luminescent Gold Nanoparticles: From Bench to Clinics”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2019, 4112
  4. B.J. Du, M.X. J. Zheng, “Transport and interactions of nanoparticles in the kidneys” Nature Reviews Materials, 2018, 358
  5. X.Y. Jiang, B. J. Du., J. Zheng, “Glutathione-mediated biotransformation in the liver modulates nanoparticle transport”, Nature Nanotechnology, 2019, 874
  6. Y.Y Huang, M.X. Yu and J. Zheng “Proximal Tubules eliminated endocytose gold nanoparticles through an organelle-extrusion-mediated self-renewal mechanism” Nature Nanotechnology, 2023, 637
  7. Y. Huang, X. Ning, S. Ahrari, Q. Cai, N. Rajora, R. Saxena, M.Y. Yu, and J. Zheng, “Physiological principles underlying the kidney targeting of renal nanomedicines”. Nature Reviews Nephrology, 2024, 354 

Biography: Dr. Jie Zheng received his B.S. in Chemistry from Inner Mongolia University and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. After completing his postdoctoral training at Harvard University, he joined the chemistry department of the University of Texas at Dallas as an Assistant Professor in 2008 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2018. In 2020, Dr. Zheng was elected a Fellow of The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) for his contributions to renal clearable nanomedicines. He currently holds the Distinguished Chair of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at The University of Texas at Dallas and serves as an Adjunct Full Professor in the Urology Department at UTSW Medical Center. Dr. Zheng’s research focuses on the fundamental understanding of in vivo transport and nano-bio interactions, as well as the development of novel nanomedicines for the early detection and treatment of cancer, liver, and kidney diseases. His work is supported by the Cecil H. and Ida Green Professorship, Welch Research Foundation, Lyda Hill Biomedical Innovation Fund, UT STARs program, CPRIT, NSF, NCI, and NIDDK. He has published over 70 papers in peer-reviewed journals, with more than 12,000 citations. Dr. Zheng is also the founder of ClearNano Inc., dedicated to developing the next generation of renal clearable nanomedicines for human healthcare.  

Fall 2024 MSE Seminars

  • 8/30 - Jiechao Jiang, UTA
  • 9/6 - Baohong Yuan, UTA
  • 9/13 - Lane Martin, Rice University
  • 9/20 - Jie Zheng, UTD
  • 9/27 - Dr. Yong, AMD
  • 10/4 - Dr. Di Zhang, UTA
  • 10/11 - Kytai Nguyen, UTA
  • 10/18 - Dr. Young-Joon Park, TI
  • 10/25 - Tae-Youl Choi, UNT
     

Administration

Dr. Efstathios "Stathis" Meletis
Department Chair
817-272-2559
meletis@uta.edu

Graduate Applicants