Pharmaceutical Sciences

Research Topics

• Antibody Drug Complexes (ADCx)

• Antibody PROTAC conjugates

• Antibody-targeted cytokine therapies

• Antibody PK modifiers

Research Topics

• Inhaled drug delivery and aerosol science Drug transport through biological barriers (mucus, biofilm, necrotic tissue)

• Antibiotic synergy and combination therapy for chronic lung infections Particle engineering (spray drying, milling, amorphous solid dispersions)

• Mucus barrier physics and modulation Predictive transport modeling for inhaled therapeutics Respiratory infection model development

Research Topics

• Understanding the mechanisms of B cell activation in response to antigens

• The development and use of synthetic virus-like structures for therapeutic applications

Research Topics

• We are developing new drug delivery systems for improving immune functions in the context of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and the gut microbiome.

Research Topics

• Exploring the application of in silico models, such as the cell-based molecular transport simulations we use in our experiments, to pharmaceutical discovery and development

• Exploring cell-based molecular transport simulations as a way to probe the role of microscopic drug transport as a determinant of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion

• Using mathematical and experimental approaches to explore how specific chemical moieties can be used to massively target small-molecule drugs to specific cell types in animals and humans

• Dissemination of free modeling and simulation tools to help educate the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists and medicinal chemists and to facilitate the development of drugs neglected by the pharmaceutical industry

Research Topics

• Rational design of novel synthetic HDL nanomedicines for treatment of atherosclerosis by designing new ApoA-I mimic peptides and optimizing phospholipid composition

• Therapeutic applications of HDL nanomedicines for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, septic shock, acute lung injury, lupus and diabetic nephropathy

• Natural HDL nanocarriers for targeted delivery of caridovascular agents, anticancer drugs, miRNA and peptide antigens

• Regulatory science: establishing characterization methods for complex parenteral drugs predictive of in vivo performance to aid development of FDA regulatory guidelines

• Biosimilarity analysis

Research Topics

• Physical and chemical stability of microencapsulated bioactive agents. We examine the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for the instability of substances, particularly proteins and other biomacromolecules, when encapsulated in the most commonly used material for controlled release, copolymers derived from lactic and glycolic acids (PLGA) and related biodegradable polymers.

• Microencapsulation of biomacromolecules. We examine the underlying molecular mechanisms that govern microencapsulation, particularly for process-sensitive biomacromolecules. Through our mechanistic findings related to polymer/drug behavior in other projects, we have devised two new approaches for facile microencapsulation of biomacromolecular therapeutics with strong advantages over existing methods. These new methods will be published shortly and related patents are pending.

• Surface modification of PLGA. We have devised patented facile methods of surface-modification of PLGA based on functional (FUN) emulsifiers, i.e., emulsifiers that impart biofunctional groups to the surface of the polymers. These physical methods obviate the need for performing chemistry to attach biofunctional groups on the surface of polymers. Due to their surface-active nature, FUN emulsifiers are easily surface-entrapped in PLGA, where a functional part of the molecule can then be utilized. Functional characteristics may include: rendering the polymer conjugatable, DNA condensable, or invisible to the body’s natural particle uptake system.

• Mechanisms of controlled release. We continue to examine underlying mechanisms of initial burst release, and long-term controlled release of drugs, particularly biomacromolecules. We were among the first to recognize the importance of healing and other mechanisms responsible for large molecular drug release during the intitial burst. We have recently identified a role of healing during the erosion phase of release. We are currently expanding on these findings and evaluating their significance in vivo.

• Long-acting Injectable depots. We apply our mechanistic studies toward development of novel injectable depots, particularly for biomacromolecular drugs.

• Site-specific delivery of growth factors. We have created novel PLGA delivery systems, which are capable of delivery multiple drugs and growth factors with optimal stability and release characteristics from a single implant. Translating mechanistic studies with model proteins we have demonstrated that a single administration of long-acting PLGA-stabilized angiogenic growth factors (bFGF and/or VEGF) can rescue severely ischemic hindlimbs in SCID mice. Delivery of growth factors in tissue engineering is also of interest. Delivery of vaccine antigens. We continue to explore novel means of PLGA delivery of vaccine antigens. We are applying our stabilization, microencapsulation, and surface-mofication approaches for the delivery of prophylactic vaccine antigens and antigens used in contraceptive and cancer immunotherapies.

• Site-specific delivery of chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive drugs. We continue to develop novel formulations for site-specific delivery of drugs for treatment and prevention of cancer, particularly oral cancer. We have extensive experience formulating PLGA delivery systems for over a dozen small molecules used in cancer.

Research Topics

• Research (For General Public): Drug Development and Nanomedicine 

  1. 90% of drugs fail clinical trials – here’s one way researchers can select better drug candidates. Conversation, February 23, 2022
  2. Nanoparticles are the future of medicine – researchers are experimenting with new ways to design tiny particle treatments for cancer. Conversation, May 4, 2022
  3. Will AI revolutionize drug development? Researchers explain why it depends on how it’s used.Conversation, January 3, 2025

• Research (For Scientists): Drug Development, Cancer Nanomedicine, Cancer Vaccine, Pharmacokinetics 

  1. Why does 90% of drug development fail and how to improve it? (PPT Slides, Video Recording)
     This project aims to improve drug development success and efficiency through STAR-guided design of dual-targeting PI3Kγ/STING agents, PI3Kγ inhibitors, STING agonists/antagonists, and JAK inhibitors for the immunotherapy of cancer and autoimmune disease.
  2. Why do most anticancer nanomedicines fail to enhance clinical efficacy and how to improve it?
     This project develops albumin-based nanomedicines to enhance the clinical efficacy of immuno-oncology drugs (STING agonists and PI3Kγ inhibitors) by targeting immune cells in the lymphatic system and tumors for cancer immunotherapy.
  3. How to improve the anticancer efficacy of neoantigen mRNA and peptide cancer vaccines?
     This project develops SARS-CoV-2 B epitope–guided neoantigen peptide and mRNA cancer vaccines that enhance anticancer efficacy by activating CD4/CD8 T cell immunity through B cell–mediated antigen presentation.
  4. How do the microbiome, bile salts, and drug release differ across regions of the human GI tract?
     This project investigates regional differences in the microbiome, bile salts, and drug release across the human stomach, small intestine, and colon, and examines how these differences affect drug product development and disease states.

Research Topics

• The Tessier lab aims to develop best-in-class therapeutic antibodies and apply them to address multiple key biomedical challenges:

  1. Conformational antibodies that selectively recognize protein aggregates for detecting and treating neurodegenerative disorders
  2. Brain-targeted bispecific antibodies for detecting and treating neurological disorders
  3. Agonist antibodies that activate T cells for treating cancer
  4. Neutralizing antibodies for treating COVID-19 and other infectious diseases
  5. Potent antibody-drug conjugates for treating cancer

• To accomplish this, we develop next-generation technologies for designing, discovering, engineering, characterizing, formulating and delivering therapeutic antibodies. Our technology development efforts are focused in three main areas:

  1. Protein engineering and directed evolution
  2. Biomolecular screening and high-throughput characterization
  3. Machine learning and computational predictions

• Our interdisciplinary research program uses experimental and computational approaches for generating new fundamental insights into protein structure and function, molecular origins of protein-protein interactions, and molecular determinants of key antibody properties (stability, solubility, specificity and affinity). Our development of novel high-throughput screening and machine learning methods is focused on discovering therapeutic antibody candidates with drug-like properties.