Research Team

Dr. Juliane Hopf
Carlie Kudary (BS- Biology; Biomedical Technician)

Graduate Students
Aurelie Moutran (BioE Graduate Student 2024 Admit)
Johanna Olesk (MS – BioE 2023)

Current
Shirley Wei (ND 2027)
Philip Latorre(ND 2027)
Victoria Hopkins (ND 2027)
Ryan Davey (ND 2027)
Olivia Sayani (ND 2027)
Jack Lyu (ND 2026)

2024
Kevin Armknecht (ND 2024)
Conor Sheehan (ND 2024)

2023
Zach Bennett (ND 2023)
Argerie Guevara (ND 2023)

2022
Jordan Chang (ND 2022)

2021
Stephanie Wallace (ND 2021)

2020
Emma Tam (ND 2020)
Veronica Kalwajtys (ND 2020)
Dr. Margo Waters (ND 2020)

Dr. Juliane Hopf

Departmental Affiliation: Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences (CEEES)
Degree and university: Doctorate in Natural Sciences from the Friedrich-Schiller-Univerity Jena
Expertise:
Microbiology, biogeochemistry, interdisciplinary sciences, surface characterization, atomic force microscopy
Webpage:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hopfjuliane/
Publications with us:
1. J. Mater. Chem. B, 2016,4, 5418-5428
2. Nanoscale Adv., 2019,1, 4812-4826
3. Pharmaceuticals 2022, 15, 1216. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15101216
4. Nanoscale Advances, 2024, DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00620D

Carlie Kudary (Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health Biomedical Technician)
Notre Dame Research Exemplary Recognition Award Recipient for FY’23

Departmental Affiliation: Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health
Degree and university: BS in Biology (Pierre Laclede Honors) from University of Missouri- St. Louis ‘2021
Current Responsibilities:
Carlie works closely with the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health Faculty Director, Associate Director of Research, other BIPH staff, and BIPH-affiliated faculty. She helps them execute BIPH laboratory research programs. Specific duties include supervising research associates in the institute’s lab space, training new research personnel on good lab practices, imparting lab-specific synthesis protocols and precautions for bio-sample handling, and optimizing sample characterization workflows.

Publications with us:
1. Nanoscale Advances, 2024, DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00620D
2. PLGA nanoparticles formulations loaded with antibiotics induce sustained and controlled antibiotics release for prolonged antibacterial action against MRSA, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa FRD1. Military Medicine, Volume 189, Issue Supplement_3, September/October 2024, Pages 230–238, https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae079

Aurelie Moutran (Bioengineering Graduate Student 2024 Entry Year)
Co-Adviser with Prof. Ryan Roeder
Departmental Affiliation: Bioengineering Graduate Student, Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering-AME
Degree, Year and university:
Master of Science in Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, 2022.
Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, with Honors, University of Connecticut, 2021.

Expertise: Mammalian cell culture, Cell-based assays, protein:protein interactions, problem solving, biomaterials
Current Research: Current cancer treatments need improvement to reduce systemic toxicity and enhance post-treatment quality of life. Aurelie is optimizing Doxorubicin-loaded magneto-electric silica nanoparticles (Dox-MagSiNs) to target cancer cells, minimizing off-target toxicity. Dox-MagSiNs are biocompatible, inert until drug release at cancer sites, and composed of a cobalt ferrite core with a fused silica shell. They also possess T2-MRI contrast properties and fluorescent tracking capabilities.
Using metastatic cancer cell lines (MDAMB231, A2780, PC3) and HUVECs as controls, Dox-MagSiNs are being optimized to selectively nanoporated cancer cells in mouse tumor models under a low magnetic field, releasing Doxorubicin to shrink tumors with less off-target toxicity compared to free Doxorubicin.
Further studies will focus on co-delivery of drug molecules, and other therapeutic payloads, as well as understanding the mechanism of action of these unique nanoparticles in vitro, as well as, in vivo.
Webpage: www.linkedin.com/in/aurelie-moutran

Johanna Olesk (Bioengineering Graduate Student 2021 – 2023; MS Bioengineering ’23)
Materials Science and Engineering Fellow (2022-2023)

Departmental Affiliation: Bioengineering Graduate Program, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE)
Degree, Year and university: BSc in Bioengineering and Robotics from the University of Tartu (2021)
Expertise: Machine learning, synthetic biology, image processing, cell culture
Current Research: Research focused on the optimized design of antimicrobial phage-mimicking core-shell nanoparticles using AI. The computer-designed nanoparticles are further synthesized in the laboratory and tested in vitro and in vivo against multi drug resistant bacteria such as MRSA, P.aeruginosa, A. Baumannii, K.pneumoniae..
Webpage: www.linkedin.com/in/johanna-olesk-5912571b7

Publications with us:
1. Nanoscale Advances, 2024, DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00620D

Shirely Wei (ND 2027)

Departmental Affiliation: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Degree Major: Chemical Engineering (2027) Degree minor: Music
Current Research:
Shirley is working on establishing the baseling MIC of standard antibiotics (e.g., amoxicillin) against multi-drug resistant bacteria such as MRSA, P.aeruginosa, A. Baumannii, and K.pneumoniae. She will further explore the synergestic effect of combinatorial formulations of PhaNPs wuth antibiotics in in vitro settings.

Philip Latorre (ND 2027)

Departmental Affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences
Degree Major: Biological Sciences, Political Science (2027) Degree minor: Glynn Family Honors Program
Current Research:
Philip is working on antimicrobial phage-mimicking core-shell nanoparticles and testing their synergy with antibiotics against multi-drug resistant bacteria such as MRSA, P.aeruginosa, A. Baumannii, and K.pneumoniae. He will further explore the biodistrbution of intravenous formulations of PhaNPs in murine models.

Victoria Hopkins (ND 2027)

Departmental Affiliation: Departments of Biological Sciences and Department of Applied Computational Mathematics and Statistics
Degree Major: Neuroscience and Behavior (2027) Degree minor: Statistics
Current Research:
Victoria is working on in vitro and in vivo metastatic breast cancer models. She is working on label-free targeting of cancer cells specifically for targeted chemotherapeutics delivery. She is also working on rat models of ESKAPE pathogen wound infections with W.M.Keck Transgene Mouse Center.

Awards: NDnano undergraduate research fellow 2024 (NURF)

Olivia Sayani (ND 2027)

Departmental Affiliation: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Degree Major: Chemical Engineering (2027) Degree minor: Bioengineering
Current Research:
Olivia is working on antimicrobial phage-mimicking core-shell nanoparticles and testing against multi-drug resistant bacteria such as MRSA, P.aeruginosa, A. Baumannii, and K.pneumoniae. She will further explore culturing common skin bacteria with potential for pathogenicity (e.g., S. epidermidis, S. intermedius, C. acnes) and assess the antibacterial efficacy of the PhaNP coated implant materials under anerobic conditions.
Awards: NDnano undergraduate research fellow 2024 (NURF)

Jack Lyu (ND 2026)

Departmental Affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences
Degree Major: Biological Science(2026);
Current Research:
Jack is working on testing the anticancer efficacy of magnetoelectric nanoparticles loaded with chemotherapeutics against Triple-negative Breast Cancer Cells of different ethnic lineages and esophageal cancer cells.
Awards: NDnano undergraduate research fellow 2023 (NURF)

Kevin Armknecht (ND 2024)

Departmental Affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Degree Major: Pre-Professional Studies(2024); Minor: Compassionate Care in Medicine; Minor: Poverty Studies
Current Research:
Kevin is working on antimicrobial phage-mimicking core-shell nanoparticles and testing against multi-drug resistant bacteria such as MRSA, P.aeruginosa, A. Baumannii, and K.pneumoniae. He is currently expanding the scope of the antibacterial activity against common skin bacteria with potential for pathogenicity (e.g., S. epidermidis, S. intermedius, C, acnes).
Awards:

Invited Presenter at Midwest Microscopy and Microanalysis Workshop 2024
Notre Dame Integrated Imaging Facility Award for Best Imaging Publication for 2023
NDnano undergraduate research fellow 2023 (NURF)

Conor Sheehan (ND 2024)

Departmental Affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Degree Major: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Current Research:
Conor is working on immobilizing antimicrobial phage-mimicking core-shell nanoparticles on implant grade metals and testing them against multi-drug resistant bacteria such as MRSA, P.aeruginosa, A. Baumannii, K.pneumoniae.
Awards: NDnano undergraduate research fellow 2022 (NURF)

Publications with us:
1. Nanoscale Advances, 2024, DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00620D

Zach Bennett (ND 2023)

GE Aviation (2023)

Departmental Affiliation: Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Degree Major: Mechanical Engineering
Current Research:
Zach applies his Mechanical engineering training to synthesize and characterize magnetoelectric nanoparticles for use as label-free, cancer-targeting drug delivery nanocarriers. Zach has also spent considerable time mapping the magnetic field necessary to direct the nanoparticles to cancerous tissue and not healthy normal tissue.

Awards:

Rockwell Automation Design Award (2023) for the best design in the senior mechanical engineering’s capstone design course.
The Reverend Thomas A. Steiner Prize to outstanding students in the College of Engineering who have displayed all-round excellence as students.
Jerome L.Novotny Design Award in Thermal Science for best design in heat transfer course

Publications with us:
1. Pharmaceuticals 2022, 15, 1216. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15101216
2. Nanoscale Advances, 2024, DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00620D

Argerie Guevara (ND 2023)

Boston University Bioengineering Graduate Program (2023 Admit)

NSF REU at Penn State University (2022)

Departmental Affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Imaging
Degree Major: Chemical Engineering
Current Research:
Argerie is working on creating polymeric nanoparticles for the controlled and sustained release of drugs and antibiotics at the wound site. Applications include bandages that can be applied in an austere setting and keeping infection at bay for multiple days.

Awards:

NDnano undergraduate research fellow 2021 (NURF)
The William D. Manly Award in recognition for excellence in research related to materials science and/or technology

Publications with us:
1. PLGA nanoparticles formulations loaded with antibiotics induce sustained and controlled antibiotics release for prolonged antibacterial action against MRSA, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa FRD1. Military Medicine, Volume 189, Issue Supplement_3, September/October 2024, Pages 230–238, https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae079

Jordan Chang (ND 2022)

Holy Cross Seminary at Notre Dame (2027)