headshot Isadora
Tirrell Group

Isadora Kucera

Isadora was born and raised in Manaus, a city in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. She is pursuing a BS in molecular engineering with emphasis in chemistry and biology at the University of Chicago.

According to the National Cancer Institute, 38.4% of the population in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer throughout their lives. As the development of novel treatments for the clinic is a pressing issue for our society, Isadora works with Mat Schnorenberg in combining the LaBelle group's peptide-based therapeutics with the Tirrell group's polymer design for molecular delivery. This composition results in a delivery system that protects the drug from attack in the human body while enabling successful cellular targeting and controllable drug uptake of cancerous cells, resulting in cell apoptosis.

Harnessing the therapeutic potential of biomacromolecules through intracellular delivery of nucleic acids, peptides and proteins

Yu Tian, Matthew V. Tirrell, James L. LaBelle. "Harnessing the therapeutic potential of biomacromolecules through intracellular delivery of nucleic acids, peptides and proteins". Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2022.

Targeted polyelectrolyte complex micelles treat vascular complications in vivo

Zhengjie Zhou, Chih-Fan Yeh, Michael Mellas, Myung-Jin Oh, Jiayu Zhu, Jin Li, Ru-Ting Huang, Devin L Harrison, Tzu-Pin Shentu, David Wu, Michael Lueckheide, Lauryn Carver, Eun Ji Chung, Lorraine Leon, Kai-Chien Yang, Matthew V Tirrell, Yun Fang. "Targeted polyelectrolyte complex micelles treat vascular complications in vivo", PNAS.

Protein primary structure correlates with calcium oxalate stone matrix preference

Yu Tian, Matthew Tirrell, Carley Davis, Jeffrey A Wesson. "Protein primary structure correlates with calcium oxalate stone matrix preference". Plos One, 2021, e0257515.

Polyampholyte physics: Liquid–liquid phase separation and biological condensates

Dinic, Jelena, Amanda B. Marciel, and Matthew V. Tirrell. "Polyampholyte physics: Liquid–liquid phase separation and biological condensates." Current opinion in colloid & interface science 54 (2021): 101457.

Polymersomes Decorated with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Receptor-Binding Domain Elicit Robust Humoral and Cellular Immunity

"Polymersomes Decorated with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Receptor-Binding Domain Elicit Robust Humoral and Cellular Immunity". ACS Cent. Sci. 2021, 7, 8, 1368-1380.

Advances in the Structural Design of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

Alexander E. Marras, Jeffrey M. Ting, Kaden C. Stevens, and Matthew V. Tirrell. "Advances in the Structural Design of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles". J. Phys. Chem. B, 2021, 125, 26, 7076-7089.

Physical Property Scaling Relationships for Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

Alexander E. Marras, Trinity R. Campagna, Jeffrey R. Vieregg, and Matthew V. Tirrell. "Physical Property Scaling Relationships for Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles". Macromolecules, 2021, 54, 13, 6585-6594.

Effect of Solvent Quality on the Phase Behavior of Polyelectrolyte Complexes

Lu Li, Artem M Rumyantsev, Samanvaya Srivastava, Siqi Meng, Juan J de Pablo, Matthew V Tirrell. "Effect of Solvent Quality on the Phase Behavior of Polyelectrolyte Complexes", Macromolecules, 2020.

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