Artzi Lab | From Bench to Bedside
Our
Focus
Engineering Precision Biomaterials to Control Biology
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At the Artzi Lab, we develop structurally defined biomaterials and nanomedicines that enable precise therapeutic control within complex biological systems. Our research integrates materials science, immunology, engineering, and medicine to create programmable technologies that sense disease, modulate immune responses, and deliver therapeutics with spatial and temporal precision.
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From immune engineering and structural nanomedicine to dynamic biomaterials and targeted drug delivery, we seek to understand and control the interactions between materials, cells, and tissues. These efforts provide a foundation for next-generation therapies for cancer, neurological disorders, metabolic disease, and regenerative medicine.
Structural Nanomedicine
The next generation of medicines will be defined not solely by their molecular composition, but by the additional consideration of their structure. Structural nanomedicine is an emerging paradigm that recognizes that the spatial organization, connectivity, and architecture of therapeutic components fundamentally influences how medicines interact with biological systems. Rather than viewing nanomedicines as simple carriers for drugs, this approach treats nanoscale structure as a programmable design parameter that governs biodistribution, cellular interactions, immune activation, therapeutic efficacy, and safety. By establishing structure–function relationships, structural nanomedicine enables the rational design of more effective, reproducible, and clinically translatable therapeutics.
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The Artzi Laboratory develops structurally defined nanomedicines that precisely organize nucleic acids, proteins, small molecules, and biomaterials into engineered therapeutic architectures. Our research integrates chemistry, materials science, immunology, and bioengineering to understand how nanoscale organization directs biological function and to translate these principles into therapies for cancer, neurological disorders, inflammatory diseases, and regenerative medicine. By engineering medicines with increasing structural precision, we aim to create therapeutic platforms that are not only more potent and selective, but also more predictable to manufacture, characterize, and ultimately bring to patients.
Key Publications
Understanding Tissue:Biomaterial Interactions In Light of Their Local Microenvironment
Leveraging Particle Transfer
The cellular export of nanomedicines is emerging as a powerful mechanism for enhancing therapeutic outcomes. We study the paracrine transfer effect (PTE), a phenomenon where nanomaterials are first internalized by an initial “waypoint” cell and then exported to nearby “destination” cells, where they exert additional therapeutic effects.
Dr. Artzi has pioneered materials that respond to specific biochemical cues, enabling localized drug release and establishing a novel “depot effect” that supports this intercellular transfer. We explore how nanoparticle design can be engineered to harness PTE, with applications in cancer immunotherapy, gene regulation, and precision drug delivery. By understanding and leveraging this intercellular trafficking, we aim to develop nanomedicines that are not only targeted but also dynamic in their therapeutic reach.
Immune engineering
Cancer immunotherapy leverages immune cells and cytokines to boost the natural body defense mechanisms to fight cancer. Adequate immunotherapy should enable the recruitment, colonization, and education of effector cells to eliminate tumors. Understanding the interactions between biomaterials and the immune system along with studying the effects of administration mode, combination therapies, and therapeutic regimen on outcomes would enable the rational design of materials that can induce humoral- and cell-mediated immune responses with long lasting anti-tumor effects.
Tissue Responsive Materials
The complex microenvironment in vivo at different tissue sites with diverse cell types and under different pathological conditions may alter material properties and in turn, affect its in vivo performance. It is crucial, therefore, to carefully study tissue microenvironment and optimize materials in light of the specific conditions in which they will have to perform their function.
We believe that new advances in material design and detailed study of material-tissue interactions can open a new chapter in personalized medicine, where biomaterials are chosen and designed to precisely match the tissue and disease state, with a concomitant improvement in clinical outcomes.
Materials can no longer be considered as ‘one size fits all’ for a broadly defined indication, but should take into account the unique tissue microenvironment of each patient. This change in approach has been catalyzed by novel imaging and characterization techniques that allow us a more detailed understanding of the disease microenvironment and how it evolves over time.
Nowadays, there is a growing need to enhance the capability of theranostics procedures where nanoparticle-based sensors may provide for the simultaneous detection of several gene-associated conditions and nanodevices with the ability to monitor real-time drug action. These innovative multifunctional nanocarriers for cancer theranostics may allow the development of diagnostic systems such as colorimetric and immunoassays, and for gene therapy, drug delivery and tumor targeting systems.
Nanotechnology offers numerous tools to diagnose and treat cancer, such as new imaging agents, multifunctional devices capable of overcome biological barriers to deliver therapeutic agents directly to cells and tissues involved in cancer growth and metastasis, and devices capable of predicting molecular changes in precancerous cells.
Nanomaterials for Cancer Theranostics
