Jennifer L. West
Isabel C. Cameron Professor of Bioengineering
Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Postdoctoral Fellow, California Institute of Technology (1996)
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (1996)
M.S., Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (1994)
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1992)
Bio Sketch
Jennifer West’s research focuses on the design and application of novel biofunctional and biomimetic materials. She has active research projects in tissue engineering, medical devices and bionanotechnology.
In the field of tissue engineering, West's research involves the development of bioengineered arteries that can be used to combat heart disease and problems that arise after angioplasty, the balloon procedure used to open clogged arteries. West has developed biodegradable scaffolding materials on which genetically engineered cells can grow.
Additionally, she's developing polymer materials that can be coated on the arteries and that release nitric oxide, a key chemical that reduces clotting and assists in the healing process. This work has also has the potential to greatly improve the quality of life for stroke victims. In 2006, The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) awarded its first Quantum Grant to diverse team of leading scientists and engineers at Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, and the National Institute for Medical Research and King’s College, London for the project, Neuro-Vascular Regeneration.
Another area of her work involves biomedical applications of nanoshells, ultra-small metallic spheres that are engineered with special optical properties. West, in collaboration with nanoshell creator Naomi Halas, is exploring several biomedical applications for nanoshells, including cancer therapy, drug delivery and medical testing. In 1999, she co-founded Nanospectra Biosciences, Inc. to commercialize a new nanoparticle-based cancer therapy.
West holds 15 patents, all of which have been licensed with 8 different companies. Notable awards she has received include: a Rice University J.M. Chance Prize for Excellence in Teaching (2002); the MIT TR100 Technology Reviews’ selection of 100 Top Young Innovators Award (2003); Rice Alumni Association's Hershel M. Rich Invention Award (2001, 2003); Rice University Duncan Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement (2003); Nanotechnology Now’s Best Discovery (2003); Frank Annunzio Award from the Christopher Columbus Foundation (2004); is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2005) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (2008); was named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor (2006); and is a recipient of the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas O’Donnell Award in Engineering (2008), the Celebrating Women in Science Award by BioHouston, Inc. (2009), and the State Bar of Texas Inventor of the Year (2010).
Research Statement
West's research in biomaterials and tissue engineering involves the synthesis, development, and application of novel biofunctional materials, and the use of biomaterials and engineering approaches to study biological problems. Ongoing projects in her Laboratory for Biofunctional Materials include:
Tissue Engineered Vascular GraftsThere is tremendous need for materials for small diameter vascular grafts. Synthetic materials have not proved suitable, and tissue transplantation is limited. Tissue engineering may provide an answer. The West lab is approaching this problem from two directions; synthesis of novel scaffold materials that mimic extracellular matrix and genetic manipulation of the cells seeded into these scaffolds. The scaffold materials under development provide signals to promote cell adhesion, to control synthesis of matrix proteins, to regulate cell growth, and to allow degradation of the polymer as new tissue forms. The goals for genetic engineering of smooth muscle and endothelial cells are to reduce thrombosis and improve the mechanical properties of the engineered arteries.
NO-Releasing PolymersNitric oxide (NO) has been shown to have anti-thrombotic activity and to inhibit smooth muscle cell proliferation. Thus, NO may be useful in the prevention of restenosis, a frequent complication of procedures such as balloon angioplasty that is related to thrombosis and smooth muscle cell proliferation. The West lab is developing novel biomaterials that produce NO for sustained periods under physiological conditions. In addition to the potential therapeutic applications, these materials can be utilized as a powerful new tool to allow us to investigate the effects of nitric oxide on cells and tissues.
Mechanisms of RestenosisThin hydrogel coatings can be used to prevent thrombosis and isolate the arterial wall from blood contact after injury. When this is done after angioplasty procedures in animals, restenosis is virtually eliminated. To gain insight into the roles of factors derived from thrombosis and blood, local drug delivery approaches can be combined with arterial coatings to provide exposure to these factors individually and at known levels. Through this, the West lab is hoping to gain unique insight into the biological mechanisms involved in restenosis and arterial wound healing.
- Medical Applications of Metal NanoshellsNanoshells are a new type of nanoparticle with tunable optical properties. For medical applications, these particles can be designed to strongly absorb or scatter light in the near infrared where tissue and blood are relatively transparent. In a cancer therapy application, nanoshells are designed to absorb light and convert the energy to heat for tumor destruction. By conjugating antibodies or peptides to the nanoshell surfaces, binding of nanoshells can be targeted to cancerous cells, and subsequent exposure to near infrared light results in specific and localized destruction of the cancerous cells. A photothermally modulated drug delivery system, optically-controlled valves for microfluidics devices, and a rapid whole blood immunoassay are also under development using nanoshells.