Altaf Bacchus
MIT Department: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Paula Hammond
Research Supervisor: Justin Kaskow
Undergraduate Institution: University of Delaware
Hometown: Georgetown, Guyana
Website: LinkedIn
Biography
Altaf Bacchus is a senior Chemical Engineer at the University of Delaware with minors in Bioinformatics and Biochemical Engineering. He strives to pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering to advance drug delivery systems that can treat traditionally “untreatable” diseases. On campus, he is the Vice President of the accoladed and broadcasted Assistive Medical Technologies, where he builds adaptive medical devices for kids with disabilities to enrich the local community. At UD, he works in Dr. Millicent Sullivan’s lab, where he optimizes polyplex formulations that are loaded onto hydrogels, with the aim of improving chronic wound healing. Through MSRP, he continued pursuing his passion for drug delivery by working in Dr. Paula Hammond’s lab, where he uses STING nanoparticles (constructed through layer-by-layer techniques) to improve the long-term remission of ovarian cancer. Outside of academics, Altaf feeds his curiosity by indulging in many hobbies, including traveling, cooking, snowboarding, and playing volleyball. To summarize, Altaf is a very dynamic person with a passion for understanding others and gaining a fresh perspective; he hopes to apply his personality and skills to make the world a better place.
Abstract
Optimization of STING Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery into Ovarian Cancer and Immune Cells
Altaf Bacchus1, Justin A. Kaskow2,3, Paula T. Hammond2,3
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
2Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer with a 5-year survival rate of 50.9%. We aim to improve the long-term remission of ovarian cancer patients by delivering a protein (STINGΔTM) into the cytosol of cancer cells to reactivate the stimulator of interferon gene (STING) pathway. In the Hammond lab, we use layer-by-layer nanoparticles (NPs) to encapsulate, localize, and deliver STINGΔTM – termed STING NPs.
I optimized STING NPs by varying the amounts of polymers (poly-L-aspartic acid and a poly-beta amino ester) used in NP formulation. I evaluated the efficacy of the NPs by analyzing delivery in reporter HEK293T cells via bioactivity assays. Additionally, I explored the long-term storage of STING NPs, via lyophilization. After performing a large-scale cryoprotectant screen, I found that storage of the lyophilized product in 5% sucrose at -20°C conditions maintain the bioactivity of STING NPs. Lastly, I successfully formulated a STING NP that can target immune cells by incorporating dextran sulfate (a polyanion), which was demonstrated via activity in a macrophage cell line.
The optimization experiments I performed will inform future STING NP formulations and storage. Additionally, immune cell targeting opens a new avenue of STING NP research that may improve future ovarian cancer treatments.
