Zaria Vulu
MIT Department: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ariel Furst
Research Supervisor: Grace Anderson
Undergraduate Institution: Spelman College
Hometown: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Website: LinkedIn
Biography
Zaria L. Vulu is a senior Biochemistry major at Spelman College with a passion for social impact through scientific exploration. She is currently a researcher at Spelman, investigating advancements in vaccine manufacturing instruments. Her experience continued in drug-loading therapies for ocular health during her internship with GelMEDIX. Zaria’s leadership extends to mentoring and advocating for underrepresented groups in STEM, as evidenced by her presentations at conferences such as NOBCChE and ACS Symposium, where she earned awards for her ability to design and effectively communicate her undergraduate research. Named a Rockefeller University Rising Scholar and selected for MIT ACCESS 2023, Zaria plans to bridge healthcare gaps through engineering solutions. Her goal is to establish a biotech company focused on equitable medical treatments. She embodies a commitment to diversity and inclusion in engineering, poised to drive meaningful change within and outside of her field.
Abstract
Synthetic Urine Buffer Release Assay with Automated Encapsulated
Mycobacterium Bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Coated in Metal-
Phenolic Networks
Zaria Vulu1, Grace Anderson2 and Ariel Furst2
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Spelman College
2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The immunotherapy BCG bladder cancer treatment is efficacious but paired with adverse
effects that prohibit patients from completing treatment. The project aims to understand the
release of polymer-encapsulated Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) coated in Metal-Phenolic Networks (MPNs) that protect microbes from external stressors for long-term sustained delivery. Understanding release rate/duration and cell survivability alludes to improvements in immunotherapy. A buffer release assay using a related bacterial strain was
conducted over a four-week period to observe the impacts of phosphates and ions on the
bacterial release post-encapsulation, and the results were then compared to a synthetic urine
assay. Mycobacterium smegmatis was encapsulated in alginate and was released into various
buffers. MOPS postponed release while phosphate and iron-rich buffers quickly released bacteria and lost viability over time. Quick bacterial release was most prevalent in the PC buffer, resulting in the lowest viability at the end of the assay (~102 CFU/mL). Furthermore, different MPN coatings were evaluated based on the viability of microbes under elevated temperature, mocking the environment of a bladder. The results from the buffer, MPN, and elevated temperature assays were analyzed using various microscopy techniques and allude to optimal conditions for BCG drug-loading immunotherapy.
