Elizabeth Curvino

• Advance next-generation anti-BCMA CAR T cell feature development, leading ideation, experimental strategy, and data generation for functional mRNA features to enhance CAR T cell potency, persistence, and trafficking. • Demonstrate broad technical expertise across immunology and cell therapy assays, including flow cytometry, ELISA, mRNA transfection, cytotoxicity/potency assays, transwell migration assays, and in vivo platform delivery evaluations. • Develop and optimize functional immunology assays to evaluate CAR T cell activity, survival, and migration, directly supporting program decision-making. • Lead and support in vivo study design and execution, including material preparation, CRO coordination, on-site study oversight, sample processing, imaging analysis, and data interpretation. • Serve as scientific lead for multiple external collaborations, managing study design, data review, and cross-functional communication for an in vivo CAR platform.

PhD Candidate | Biomedical Engineering – Immunoengineering Focus | NSF GRFP Awardee Engaging Natural Antibody Responses with Nanomaterials for Inflammatory Bowel Disease • Developed conjugation strategies to attach natural antibody epitope phosphorylcholine (PC) to self-assembling immunostimulatory nanofibers. • Optimized a modular anti-PC nanofiber platform to engage innate antibody responses and augment T-dependent adaptive immunity via T-cell epitope inclusion. • Characterized immune cell recruitment, phenotype, and activation following nanofiber administration. • Designed and conducted ELISA and ELISpot assays to evaluate anti-PC immune responses. • Demonstrated therapeutic efficacy of anti-PC nanofiber immunizations in multiple murine colitis models and investigated microbiome effects. Supramolecular Peptide Self-Assemblies Facilitate Oral Immunization • Designed protease-resistant, muco-penetrative peptide nanofibers for gastrointestinal delivery. • Developed in vitro and in vivo assays to assess antigen transport, survival, and presentation in GI environments. • Evaluated systemic and local GI immune responses elicited by orally delivered nanofiber immunizations with peptide and small molecule epitopes.

Undergraduate Researcher | Duvall Advanced Therapeutics Laboratory Porous Silicon Nanoparticle Fabrication Optimization Toward siRNA Loading and Delivery: • Optimized porous silicon nanoparticle (PSNP) fabrication through improved electrochemical etching and oxidation, producing smaller, more uniform particles. • Enhanced siRNA loading and pH-responsive polymer coating to improve delivery and endosomal escape in vitro and in vivo. • Evaluated gene knockdown efficiency in cancer cell lines and characterized pharmacokinetics of polymer-coated, siRNA-loaded PSNPs. • Developed and optimized a hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft mouse model, supporting preclinical studies of nanoparticle-mediated gene therapy.