What if you could build a training model for the immune system? Something that would help the immune system train its cells to defend themselves against confrontations with pathogens and develop a more robust immune response?
That is precisely what Assistant Chemical Engineering Professor Yeongseon Jang, Ph.D., and her fellow researchers at the University of Florida have been attempting to do. But, instead of working with real cells, they created simple, cell-like structures that they can arrange and test for immune signals.
Their goal is to understand how immune cells “recognize and respond to signals, without the complexity of real cells,” Jang explained. This research is important to Florida as a leader in biomolecular engineering and biomaterial development, especially in the area of immune-based cancer treatments.
“This research will help us better understand how immune cells respond to protein and peptide signals at cell surfaces. By building simple, protein-based systems that mimic key features of real cells, we can study these interactions in a more controlled way,” she said.
Biomaterials can be natural or synthetic materials engineered to work with the body’s biological systems for medical purposes. They are used for implants, medical devices, tissue regeneration and improved biocompatibility, as well as targeted drug delivery.
Jang and her College of Engineering graduate research students recently received a $500,000 National Science Foundation Biomaterials (NSF BMAT) award they will utilize over the next three years. Additionally, external immunology and pathology collaborators will contribute to the experimental design and interpretation.
This project is powered by the hard work and strong motivation of the students involved.
– Yeongseon Jang , Assistant Professor
What is the issue?
Jang explained that modern immunotherapies “depend on precise molecular interactions at cell surfaces, but existing synthetic materials cannot reliably reproduce these dynamic biological signals.”
What is the solution?
Jang said her team developed protein-based, cell-like vesicles (sacs within the cells that store, transport, or digest substances) that allow precise control over how the immune signals are organized and presented.
“By establishing new design principles for programmable biomolecular membranes, the work lays a foundation for next-generation immunotherapies and advances the broader bioeconomy through new biomaterials and synthetic cell technologies,” she said.
Why is this discovery important?
“Existing artificial antigen-presenting cell platforms typically rely on rigid synthetic particles or complex cell-based systems,” Jang said. “In contrast, this project introduces a fully protein-based, self-assembling membrane platform that allows systematic control of protein mobility, spacing, and mechanical properties, features that have been difficult to access experimentally until now.”
What motivated this research?
“My research ideas emerge at the intersection of fundamental biophysics and real biomedical limitations,” she said. “This project was motivated by the questions: How can we build synthetic systems that behave more like living cell membranes rather than static materials? And what challenges in biomedical applications can be addressed through a protein-based, bottom-up design approach?”
She also credits her students for helping steer the research, noting, “Regular meetings and frequent discussions with my students are also a key driving force in developing new research ideas and directions, inspired by their strong motivation and curiosity.”
Why is this research innovative?
“The key innovation,” she said, “is the creation of immunomodulatory protein vesicles (iPVs) based on modular fusion protein design with tunable membrane mechanics. Unlike traditional systems, these vesicles are soft, deformable and dynamically reorganizable, enabling systematic investigation of how immune receptors respond to spatial protein cues at cell-mimetic interfaces,” Jang explained.
“Cell-mimetic interfaces” are engineered systems with artificial surfaces that mimic complex biologic, physical and chemical features of natural, living cell membranes.
“While it is early for direct clinical translation, the platform is designed to be scalable, modular and compatible with downstream applications,” she said.
How will this study benefit student researchers?
“This grant will provide hands-on research experiences for undergraduate, graduate and high school students, allowing them to work at the intersection of biomolecular engineering, materials science and immunology. Students will gain experience in recombinant protein engineering, biophysical characterization and cell-interface design,” she said.
Jang stressed that she is not doing this alone.
“This project,” she said, “is powered by the hard work and strong motivation of the students involved. Undergraduate and graduate researchers have played a critical role in advancing the science, demonstrating creativity, persistence and a genuine passion for discovery. Their contributions highlight the educational impact of this award and its role in training the next generation of chemical and biomolecular engineers.”