Nishit Doshi
Bachelors of Science, Chemical Engineering
University Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India
Ph.D. Candidate, Chemical Engineering
Univ. of California, Santa Barbara
Research
Fabrication of complex particles for drug delivery applications:
Particulate medicine has received tremendous research attention in recent years for drug delivery and medical imaging. The important particle parameters that dictate particle function include size, polymer chemistry, surface chemistry, mechanical properties and shape of the particle. Recently, there has been a lot of interest in studying the importance of shape of particles due to the potential advantages such as increased targeting efficiency and circulation time. For e.g. Dr Julie Champion from our lab showed the importance of shape and orientation of particles in internalization by macrophages (Phagocytosis). The aim of my project is to perform a comprehensive study of the importance of shape of particles at each anatomical hierarchy: cellular, sub-cellular, tissue and organ. Preliminary experiments indicate a significant difference in various biological interactions of particles of different shapes with respect to endothelial cells. Further experiments are being performed to understand the mechanisms and potential applications.
I am also involved in improving the design of particles used in drug delivery and medicine. For e.g. Fabrication of multifunctional carriers of different shapes and smart particles that change their properties on demand.
Internship Programs:
SIMS, UCSB 2007
EPSEM UCSB, 2008
CISEI, UCSB, 2008
Mentor of a BMSE student doing lab rotation in our lab.
-- Awarded the President's work study loan for Spring 2007
-- Member of PEN (Program of excellence in Nanotechnology)
Email: doshi.nish@gmail.com