Polymer-Mediated Enhanced Delivery of Therapeutic Proteins & Sustainable Waste Upcycling Through Cascade Enzyme Reactions

This event is sponsored by FAMU-FSU Engineering Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering.

Abstract: The efficient delivery of therapeutic proteins and the sustainable valorization of waste streams represent critical challenges in biotechnology and chemical engineering. This seminar will discuss innovative polymer-mediated strategies for enhancing protein stability, delivery, and therapeutic efficacy, alongside enzymatic approaches for the sustainable upcycling of waste materials. In the first part of the seminar, I will present how polymer conjugation techniques, including the use of site-specific bottlebrush polymers and injectable hydrogels, can significantly improve the pharmacokinetics and stability of therapeutic proteins. The second part of the seminar will focus on enzymatic cascade reactions for sustainable waste upcycling. I will present the development of multi-enzyme reactors equipped with polypeptide-based cofactor swing arms to enable the efficient conversion of waste-derived feedstocks into value-added products. By combining advances in protein engineering, polymer chemistry, and enzymatic biocatalysis, these polymer-mediated and cascade-reaction-based technologies offer promising solutions for both therapeutic protein delivery and sustainable chemical production. This interdisciplinary approach underscores the potential for biomolecular engineering to address pressing challenges in healthcare and environmental sustainability.

Dr. Inchan Kwon

Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)

Speaker Bio: Dr. Inchan Kwon is a Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) and the Chief Technology Officer of ProAbTech. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology under the mentorship of Professor David A. Tirrell, focusing on protein engineering through the sitespecific incorporation of nonnatural amino acids. Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Kwon conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, before joining the University of Virginia as an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering. In 2014, he transitioned to GIST, where his research encompasses biomaterials, protein engineering, and synthetic biology, with applications in biotechnology and immunotherapy.

Dr. Kwon has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Outstanding Technology Award from the Korean Society for Biotechnology and Bioengineering and the Prize for Faculty of Excellence in Research at GIST. He has also held key leadership positions, serving as Dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at GIST and playing active roles in professional organizations such as the Korean Society for Biotechnology and Bioengineering and the Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers.