Brandon is a 5^th year PhD student interested in advancing cell therapy to treat disease. In his research, he seeks to weave together multiple Van Vliet Lab projects into a cohesive approach to manufacture enhanced mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) products and hopefully smooth the path to clinical translation: (1) Viscoelastic priming of MSC secretome for enhanced therapeutic potency; (2) Improved cell manufacture subject to tight environmental regulation for improved (i.e. reduced) intra-batch and lot-to-lot cellular phenotypic heterogeneity; (3) microfluidic-based manufacture of dissolvable gelatin microcarriers to realize aims 1 & 2 in a novel bioreactor format.

Ultimately, Brandon pursues these research goals with the intent to enhance MSC therapy to treat Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a prevalent and deadly clinical indication for which there are currently no satisfactory treatment options. 

Brandon received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where his previous research in James Dahlman’s lab focused on lipid nanoparticle drug delivery. Outside of lab, Brandon enjoys backpacking, woodworking, and photography. 

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Recent Publications

https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-024-05373-7