J. G. Searle Professor (Courtesy)

Affiliations

Pharmaceutical Sciences
Biomedical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
BioInterfaces Institute

Location

2800 Plymouth Road, NCRC B10-A190
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Research Website

www.umich.edu/~moonlab

Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Postdoctoral Associate, Materials Science & Engineering and Biological Engineering, 2008-2012

Rice University
PhD, Bioengineering, 2008
Dissertation: Synthesis of Biomimetic Hydrogels for Neovascularization in vivo.

University of California, Berkeley
BS, Bioengineering, 2002

Research Interests

My research group aims to develop novel therapeutics at the interface of immunology, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences. Specifically, we are developing drug delivery systems designed to target and modulate lymphoid organs and the gut microbiome in the context of vaccines and immunotherapies against cancer, infectious pathogens, and autoimmune disorders. Our work focusing on the development of nanotechnologies for vaccination and immunotherapy has been published in Nature Materials, Nature Nano, Nature Medicine, Nature Reviews Materials, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Communications, Sci Transl Med, PNAS, and ACS Nano.Our work has also led to 19 issued or pending patent applications as well as 3 startup biotech companies.

Biography

Professional Experience

University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
J. G. Searle Professor, 2021-

Chemical Engineering Department
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, without tenure, 2021-

Biomedical Engineering Department
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, without tenure, 2021-

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
John Gideon Searle Associate Professor, 2018-2021

Biomedical Engineering Department
Associate Professor, without tenure, 2018-2021

Graduate Program in Immunology
Member, 2018-

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
John Gideon Searle Assistant Professor, 2012-2018

Biomedical Engineering Department
Assistant Professor, 2012-2018

Biointerfaces Institute,
Core member, 2012-

Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Core member, 2012-

Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences
Member, 2012-

EVOQ Therapeutics, LLC.
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, 2016-

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2008-2012

Boston Scientific, Boston, MA
Summer research intern, 2006

Awards

Winner of Grand Prize in Innovate Michigan Competition, 2019
EVOQ Therapeutics

Emerging Leader Award, 2018
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

Mid-Career Nanotechnology Scientific Award, 2018
Applied Nanotech and Nanoscience International Conf.

Young Innovator, 2017
CMBE

Senior Forbes Scholar, 2017
University of Michigan

Outstanding Bioengineering Alumnus Award, 2017
Rice University

Distinguished Investigator Award, 2017-2019
Emerald Foundation

CAREER Award, 2016-2021
National Science Foundation

Career Development Award (CDMRP), 2016-2019
Department of Defense

Young Investigator Award, 2015-2108
Melanoma Research Alliance

Associate Editor of Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 2014

New Investigator Award in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technologies, 2014
AAPS

Recipient of John Gideon Searle Assistant Professorship, 2013

K22 Research Scholar Development and Faculty Transition Award, 2012-2014
NIH/NIAID

Trainee Award, 2012
American Association of Immunologists

Harvard Wyss Institute Award for Translational Research, 2011
IEEE-EMBS

Poster Award, 2011
Biomaterials Gordon Research Conference

Young Investigator Award, 2010
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS)

Mary F.D. Morse Graduate Fellowship Award (for outstanding graduate student research, 2008

Trainee Award, 2007
American Society for Investigative Pathology

Trainee Award, 2007
American Anatomy Association

First Place Graduate Student Research Award, 2007
North American Vascular Biology Organization

Sigma Xi Graduate Student Research Award (for outstanding graduate research), 2006

Publications

§-Corresponding author

1. Sun X, Zhang Y, Li J, Park KS, Han K, Zhou X, Xu Y, Nam J, Xu J, Shi X, Wei L, Lei YL, Moon JJ§. Amplifying STING Activation by Cyclic Dinucleotide-Manganese Particles for Local and Systemic Cancer Metalloimmunotherapy. 16, 1260-1270, 2021, Nature Nanotech.
2. Han K, Nam J, Xu J, Sun X, Huang X, Animasahun O, Achreja A, Joen JH, Pursley B, Kamada N, Chen GY, Nagrath D, Moon JJ§. Generation of systemic antitumour immunity via the in situ modulation of the gut microbiome by an orally administered inulin gel. 5, 1377-1388, 2021, Nature Biomedical Eng.
3. Nam J, Son S, Park KS, Moon JJ§. Modularly programmable nanoparticle vaccine based on polyethyleneimine for personalized cancer immunotherapy, 8, 5:2002577, 2021, Advanced Science.
4. Lee Y, Sugihara K, Gillilland MG 3rd, Jon S, Kamada N, Moon JJ§. Hyaluronic acid–bilirubin nanomedicine for targeted modulation of dysregulated intestinal barrier, microbiome and immune responses in colitis. 19, 1, 118-126, 2020, Nature Materials.
5. Scheetz L, Park KS, Li Q, Lowenstein PR, Castro MG, Schwendeman A, Moon JJ§. Engineering patient-specific cancer immunotherapies. 3, 10, 768-782, 2019, Nature Biomedical Engineering.
6. Nam J, Son S, Park KS, Zou W, Shea L, Moon JJ§. Cancer nanomedicine for combination cancer immunotherapy. 4, 398-414, 2019, Nature Reviews Materials.
7. Kuai R, Yuan W, Xu Y, Fan Y, Schwendeman A§, Moon JJ§. Elimination of established tumors with nanodisc-based combination chemoimmunotherapy. 4,4, eaao1736, 2018, Science Advances.
8. Nam J, Son S, Ochyl LJ, Kuai R, Schwendeman A, and Moon JJ§. Chemo-photothermal therapy combination elicits anti-tumor immunity against advanced metastatic cancer. 9, 1, 1074, 2018, Nature Communications.
9. Kuai R, Ochyl LJ, Bahjat KS, Schwendeman A§ and Moon JJ§. Designer vaccine nanodiscs for personalized cancer immunotherapy. 16, 4, 489-496, 2017, Nature Materials. §Co-corresponding authors.