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Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology

John Wilson, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Associate Professor, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Areas of Interest: Cancer Biology; Infectious Diseases and Immunity;  Nanotechnology; Synthetic & Medicinal Chemistry

The Wilson Laboratory is working at the interface of engineering and immunology to improve human health. Our mission is to cure, detect, treat or prevent myriad disease through the design of novel molecularly engineered materials that interrogate the immune system in defined and specific manners. We are guided by the principle that the immune system must dictate therapeutic design requirements, and we turn to nature for inspiration to engineer highly modular and tunable materials to accommodate these criteria. By bringing together expertise in colloid and surface engineering, advanced polymerization techniques, cellular engineering and drug delivery, we are developing innovative therapeutic approaches that specifically target and tightly regulate the delivery of immunomodulatory cues to the organs, cells, and intracellular pathways of the immune system. By doing so, we are working towards advancement in the following areas:
Molecularly Engineered Materials for Biomedical Applications: Materials are at the core of our research – the ability to engineer a diversity of materials with tailored and well-defined properties is critical to critical to controlling biological phenomena. Our laboratory specializes in the design of novel bio- and nanomaterials using cutting-edge approaches, including controlled free radical polymerization (e.g., RAFT), self-assembling polymer thin films and colloids, and synthesis and bioconjugation of biomacromolecules.
Intracellular Delivery of Antigens and Molecular Adjuvants: We are engineering nanoparticle-based delivery systems that regulate the distribution of antigens and molecular adjuvants between intracellular compartments. Combined with research focused on understanding of how intracellular distribution and trafficking of immunotherapeutics influences inflammatory and immune responses, this work is leading to the design of multimodal and tunable delivery platforms for unique drug combinations that engage multiple and diverse immune signaling pathways. By eliciting more highly defined and tailored immune responses, these foundational technologies are enabling diverse applications in many diseases.
Engineering of Vaccine Colloids and Surfaces: Using innovative polymer and interfacial engineering approaches, we are integrating new functionalities and biological activities into many existing materials used in vaccine delivery (e.g., polymeric particles, liposomes, emulsions). Additionally, we are developing novel particles and thin films for augmenting immune responses and using them in new and unconventional ways.

Cancer Immunotherapy: We are addressing current challenges in cancer immunotherapy using a multi-faceted approach. First, we are developing new cancer vaccines based on pH-responsive nanoparticles that enable dual-delivery of tumor antigens and diverse immunostimulatory adjuvants. Second, we are engineering drug delivery systems for local modulation of immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments. Finally, we are developing innovative approaches for targeting immunomodulatory agents to specific immune cell types and leveraging these approaches to enhance penetration and accumulation of drugs in tumors.

Diabetes and Islet Transplantation: Our group is contributing to the diabetes challenge in the following ways. First, the foundational drug delivery technologies developed in our group are being explored for tolerance induction through combinatorial delivery of islet auto-antigens and immunomodulatory agents. Second, we are working to improve the outcome of pancreatic islet transplantation through molecularly re-engineering islet cell surfaces with nanostructured materials for controlled release of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs.

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