2022.03.10 Announcement of the 4th Waseda IARBD seminar “New properties and applications of lipid nanocarriers: immunostimulatory effect beyond drug delivery” The fourth seminar of the Waseda IARBD seminar series was a lecture given by Dr. Tianshu Li, Assistant Professor of Waseda Research Institute of Science and Engineering. The lecture title was “New properties and applications of lipid nanocarriers: immunostimulatory effect beyond drug delivery”. Date : 14 March, 2022 Time : 17:00-18:00 (Japan Standard Time) Venue : Webinar, Zoom (You will know the link after your registration.) Lecturer : Dr. Tianshu Li Assistant Prof, Waseda University Title : “New properties and applications of lipid nanocarriers: immunostimulatory effect beyond drug delivery” Registration Fee : Free Language : English Registration : Please register in the following link: https://forms.gle/E9Vj5uUq8G6mr41z7 Closing Date : 12 March, 2022 Contact : IARBD-Office: IARBD-office@list.waseda.jp Tianshu Li, Assistant Prof, Waseda University Biography Tianshu Li obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Peking University Health Science Center, and Ph.D. in Life Science and Medical Bioscience at Waseda University under the supervision of Prof. Shinji Takeoka. From 2014 to 2017, she received postdoctoral training at the Research Organization for Nano & Life Innovation and visited the Life & Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Bonn for collaborative study. In 2018, she became an Assistant Professor of Waseda University and teaches bioscience courses under the English-based program. Her research interests are exploring new functions of biomaterials and developing advanced drug delivery system for nanomedicine. Currently, she is conducting the research project “Development of amino acid-based cationic lipid nanoparticles specialized for cytosolic gene delivery” supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant for Early-Career Scientists (2019-2022). Abstract Nowadays, COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is widely applied around the world to help us fight against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Its successful immunization has been greatly promoted by the lipid composition of the vaccine, known as drug delivery system (DDS) that fulfills the intracellular function of mRNA. For example, protecting mRNA from enzymatic decomposition, promoting cellular uptake, and boosting the immune system. Conventional DDS such as liposomes, are self-assemblies of one type or multiple types of lipids, trapping therapeutic or diagnostic drugs within the nanoparticles. Most of them are applied for anticancer therapy either by passive or active targeting. Until recently, some nanocarriers have been found to have potency in stimulating the immune system; however, the molecular and cellular mechanisms are not clear. To investigate how lipid nanocarriers affect the immune system, we tested a series of amino acid-based cationic lipids (in the form of liposomes) for their immunostimulatory effect in macrophages, dendritic cells and T cells. It has been revealed that the chemical structure of lipid is one of the key parameters to determine the type and strength of immune response. This study shed light on the versatility of lipid nanocarriers in immune stimulation and provides new insights into their adjuvant effects. Organized by the Institute for Advanced Research of Biosystem Dynamics (IARBD)
