News
![DESTINATION Lab 2nd Anniversary](../_Files/images/Lab-Anniversary-2024.jpeg)
DESTINATION Lab 2nd Anniversary
August 2024 - DESTINATION Lab celebrated its 2-year anniversary![Attendance at NanoHub FAIR Workshop](../_Files/images/NanoHubFAIR2024.jpeg)
Attendance at NanoHub FAIR Workshop
August 2024 - Our BME PhD student Denice Peter Rout attended the NanoHub FAIR Workshop at Purdue University for a hands-on experience with implementing FAIR workflows in nanomaterials science and engineering.![Presentations at COURI Summer Symposium 2024](../_Files/images/COURI-Summer-2024.jpeg)
Presentations at COURI Summer Symposium 2024
August 2024 - Our undergrad COURI SURPASS students Melissa and Estefania for presented their summer research work on LNP high-throughput synthesis and screening at the COURI Summer Symposium![Attendance at NSF FAIR Workshop](../_Files/images/FAIR-DC.jpeg)
Attendance at NSF FAIR Workshop
July 2024 - Our BME PhD student Denice Peter Rout attended the NSF FAIR Workshop in Washington DC for improving the findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability of scientific information in materials science and engineering.![ChimeraX Workshop at UTEP College of Science](../_Files/images/ChimeraX-workshop.jpeg)
ChimeraX Workshop at UTEP College of Science
July 2024 - Wilson Poon and Deepali Bisht helped led the ChimeraX workshop hosted by UTEP College of Science and organized by Prof. Mahesh Narayan.![Attendance at NIH All of Us Faculty Summit](../_Files/images/NIHAllofUs.jpg)
Attendance at NIH All of Us Faculty Summit
May 2024 - Wilson Poon attended the NIH All of Us Faculty Summit 2024, hosted by Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. As part of the program, he joins an interdisplinary research team to investigate the behavioral, environmental, and biological factors on lung cancer health disparities using the All of Us database.![MMBME Annual Research Awards](../_Files/images/ResearchAward2024.jpg)
MMBME Annual Research Awards
May 2024 - 4 students from the DESTINATION lab are awarded research awards at the MMBME Annual Banquet - undergraduate RAs Damian and Hannia, and graduate students Veronica and Mario.![MS MME Thesis Defense](../_Files/images/VeronicaDefense.jpeg)
MS MME Thesis Defense
May 2024 - Our MS MME student Veronica Contreras successfully defended her thesis - "Effect of Patient-specific Blood Biomarkers on Nanoparticle-cell Interactions" with Drs. Joddar and Ma as committee members.![TRC4 Grant Awarded](../_Files/images/TRC4.jpeg)
TRC4 Grant Awarded
April 2024 - Wilson Poon (PI) is awarded an Early Career Mentored Grant from the TRC4 Initiative - "Nanoparticle-Enabled Immunomodulation for Sepsis Prevention in Trauma and Combat Casualty"![Attendance at CryoEM Train the Trainer Workshop](../_Files/images/CryoEM-workshop.jpeg)
Attendance at CryoEM Train the Trainer Workshop
April 2024 - Wilson Poon attended the 2nd CryoEM Train the Trainer Workshop hosted by Harvard Medical School and funded by NIGMS IPERT Program.![New Opentrons Flex Automated Liquid Handler](../_Files/images/flex-demo-2.jpg)
New Opentrons Flex Automated Liquid Handler
April 2024 - The new Opentrons Flex automated liquid handler has been installed in DESTINATION Lab![NIH R21 Grant Awarded](../_Files/images/NIH-R21-Katja.jpeg)
NIH R21 Grant Awarded
March 2024 - DESTINATION lab (co-I) will work with Prof. Katja Michael (PI), Prof. Igor Almeida (co-I) and Prof. Rosa Maldonado (co-I) on an awarded NIH R21 grant - "A novel gene-based immunotherapy inducing melanoma destruction"![Publication in ACS Applied Bio Materials](../_Files/images/ACSABM2024_graphicalabstract.jpg)
Publication in ACS Applied Bio Materials
January 2024 - Hannia Balcorta, Veronica Contreras, Deepali Bisht, and Wilson Poon co-authored a review article in the journal ACS Applied Bio Materials entitled "Nucleic acid delivery nanotechnologies for in vivo cell programming"![New BME PhD Student](../_Files/images/DeniceNewStudent.jpg)
New BME PhD Student
January 2024 - Denice Peter Rout joins DESTINATION lab as a new BME PhD student![Publication in Current Opinion in Biotechnology](../_Files/images/COBIOT-graphical-abstract-01.jpg)
Publication in Current Opinion in Biotechnology
December 2023 - Mario Mata Corral, Damian Alvarez, and Wilson Poon co-authored a review article in the journal Current Opinion in Biotechnology entitled "Quantifying nanoparticle delivery: challenges, tools, and advances"![Attendance at NASA Better Together 2023](../_Files/images/NASA_BT23.jpg)
Attendance at NASA Better Together 2023
November 2023 - Wilson Poon attended NASA Better Together Conference 2023 in San Jose![Volunteering at Orange and Blue Day 2023](../_Files/images/OrangeAndBlueDay2023.jpg)
Volunteering at Orange and Blue Day 2023
October 2023 - DESTINATION Lab volunteered at UTEP's Orange and Blue Day 2023![Attendance at BMES 2023](../_Files/images/BMES-2023.jpg)
Attendance at BMES 2023
October 2023 - Wilson Poon and Hannia Balcorta attended the 2023 BMES Annual Meeting in Seattle. Hannia Balcorta presented her research poster on additive biomanufacturing with nanoparticles![Publication in ACS Applied Bio Materials](../_Files/images/ACSABM2023.jpeg)
Publication in ACS Applied Bio Materials
October 2023 - Wilson Poon and Hannia Balcorta published an original research article in the journal ACS Applied Bio Materials in collaboration with Prof. Binata Joddar's group (UTEP) entitled "Microcomputed Tomography for the Microstructure Evaluation of 3D Bioprinted Scaffolds"![Attendance at Material Science and Technology Technical Meeting 2023](../_Files/images/MST2023.jpg)
Attendance at Material Science and Technology Technical Meeting 2023
October 2023 - Veronica Contreras attended the 2023 Material Science &Technology Technical Meeting in Columbus. to present her research poster on the effect of patient-specific blood biomarkers on nanoparticle-cell interactions![Featured in UTEP Engineering News](../_Files/images/2023_10_02.jpg)
Featured in UTEP Engineering News
October 2023 - DESTINATION Lab was featured in UTEP Engineering News - "NASA Awards Grant to UTEP's MMBME Department for Groundbreaking Research on Human Cardiovascular Health in Space"![Lab Group Photo - Fall 2023](../_Files/images/Fall-2023.jpeg)
Lab Group Photo - Fall 2023
September 2023 - Updated group picture of the DESTINATION Lab with new members Deepali Bisht (BME PhD), Mario Mata Corral (BME MS), Angel Gallegos (COURI MERTIUS UGRA), and Jael Chavez (NIH U-RISE UGRA)![DESTINATION Lab 1st Anniversary](../_Files/images/Lab-Anniversary-2023.jpeg)
DESTINATION Lab 1st Anniversary
August 2023 - DESTINATION Lab celebrated its 1-year anniversary![NASA MUREP Grant Awarded](../_Files/images/NASA_MUREP_MPLAN.jpg)
NASA MUREP Grant Awarded
August 2023 - DESTINATION lab (co-I) will work with Prof. Sylvia Natividad Diaz (PI) and Prof. Binata Joddar (co-I) on an awarded NASA MUREP MPLAN grant - "Human 3D microfluidic cardiovascular tissue model in microgravity conditions for simulation of tissue-specific response to environmental stressors"![New COURI SURPASS UGRA](../_Files/images/DamianCOURI.jpg)
New COURI SURPASS UGRA
May 2023 - Damian Alvarez was awarded a COURI SURPASS award and joins the DESTINATION lab as a summer UGRA![Senior Design Team Poster Presentation](../_Files/images/IABMeeting2023.jpg)
Senior Design Team Poster Presentation
April 2023 - DESTINATION Lab's senior design team students presented their lipid nanoparticle project poster to the UTEP MMBME Industry Advisory Board![Lab Renovations Completed](../_Files/images/RenovationsComplete.jpg)
Lab Renovations Completed
March 2023 - DESTINATION lab renovations are finally completed and fully operational for chemical synthesis and biological experimental work![Volunteering at MMBME Open House](../_Files/images/MMBMEOpenHouse2023.jpg)
Volunteering at MMBME Open House
March 2023 - DESTINATION lab volunteered at the UTEP MMBME Open House![Invited Talk at MD Anderson Cancer Center](../_Files/images/MDAnderson2023.jpg)
Invited Talk at MD Anderson Cancer Center
February 2023 - Wilson Poon gave an invited talk at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston![URI Pilot Grant Awarded](../_Files/images/URIAward.jpg)
URI Pilot Grant Awarded
January 2023 - DESTINATION lab was awarded an internal pilot grant through the University Research Institute on "Developing chemical tags to track lipid nanoparticles in cells and tissues". Hannia Balcorta joins the lab as a UG RA on this project![New MME MS Student](../_Files/images/VeroJoinsDESTINATIONLab.jpg)
New MME MS Student
January 2023 - Veronica Contreras joined DESTINATION lab as its first MME MS student.![Attendance at BMES 2022](../_Files/images/BMES2022.jpg)
Attendance at BMES 2022
October 2022 - Wilson Poon, Imelda Holguin, and Damien Alvarez attended the 2022 BMES Annual Meeting in San Antonio![Lab Group Photo - Fall 2022](../_Files/images/Group2022.jpeg)