Applying virus-based nanotechnologies to cancer and COVID-19

TheoryLab

Dr. Nicole Steinmetz is well on her way in her mission to “push new frontiers in medicine and bio-nanotechnology through the design, development and testing of materials and biologics derived from plant viruses.” Plant viruses? Plant viruses. They’re non-infectious to humans. When injected into a tumor the immune system is alerted to their presence; finding no threat from the plant virus the immune cells fight the tumor instead. Dr. Steinmetz talks us through the technology she’s developed, explains how it can advance immunotherapy, and gives us a glimpse of how she and her team are applying this platform toward COVID-19 vaccine development. 1:52 – Nicole Steinmetz, PhD, Professor of NanoEngineering and Director of the Center for Nano-ImmunoEngineering at the University of California, San Diego 2:34 – What are nanoparticles? Why are they useful in medicine? 7:11 – The Ballad of the Ferrari and the Geo Storm 9:25 - How nanoparticles are useful in cancer diagnostic and therapeutic approaches 14:36 – Using plant viruses as nanotechnology (“They’re also naturally expert at the delivery of cargo” such as cancer therapeutics.) 20:40 – How her lab is using plant virus-based nanotechnologies to improve immunotherapy delivery 27:08 – How plant viruses nicely synergize with checkpoint therapies 31:04 – How nanotechnology has been applied to COVID-19 vaccine development 33:04 – The role her lab has played in developing COVID-19 vaccine candidates using plant viruses “that we could ship at room temperature around the world to people’s homes…You don’t even need to see a doctor; you can apply it like a bandage to get the vaccine.” 35:05 – On how this is a platform technology that could be used against the next strain, the next mutant, the next virus 36:28 – How support from the American Cancer Society has impacted her research 38:06 – Her message for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers Stick around until the end for a few bonus questions on Baldeneysee, surfing, whales, and her favorite teacher growing up