Physics Colloquium: Multiscale modeling of nanoparticle interactions with biological cell membranes

Physics Colloquium
Multiscale modeling of nanoparticle interactions with biological cell membranes

Dr. Samaneh Farokhirad
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
New Jersey Institute of Technology

Event Details:
Targeted drug delivery using nanoparticles often succeeds or fails at the plasma membrane, where binding and internalization determine the therapeutic fate. Despite impressive progress in surface functionalization of nanoparticles with targeting drugs or molecules, an overlooked lever is mechanical matching between nanoparticle and membrane. In this talk, I present our developed multiscale modeling framework that links molecular receptor-ligand kinetics to whole-cell outcomes of adhesion and internalization by coupling nanoparticle elasticity with membrane properties. Using this platform, we identify nanoparticle stiffness as a tunable design axis that collaborates with membrane mechanics to amplify binding and internalization. I will highlight case studies with dextran nanogels, where we map regimes in which softer or stiffer nanoparticles enhance internalization and show how monovalent affinity sets the baseline for superselective nanoparticle adhesion.
Ongoing work includes adhesion and self-assembly of filament-shaped and DNA nanocarriers (relevant to both virus particles and drug carriers) on cell membranes. Specifically, our model shows how geometry, stiffness, and crowding drive distinct surface patterns, e.g., tip-to-tip chaining, and side-by-side banding, that shape self-assembly. Together, these studies provide mechanics-aware guidelines for engineering nanocarriers that bind specifically and trigger efficient internalization, advancing rational design for targeted drug delivery and precision medicine.
  
Bio: Dr. Samaneh Farokhirad is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an affiliated faculty member at NJIT’s Center for Applied Mathematics and Statistics. She earned a B.Sc. from Sharif University of Technology (2007) and a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in Mechanical Engineering from The City College of New York (2016). Before joining NJIT in 2019, she was a postdoctoral fellow in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and in the Penn Institute for Computational Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Her lab develops advanced computational methods, leveraging high-performance computing and data-driven modeling, to study multiphysics, multiscale phenomena in complex fluids and biological environments, with applications in targeted delivery, nanomedicine, and energy. Her work is supported by the NSF, DOE, and Oracle for Research

Intended Audience:
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