Shinya Wai
Tirrell Group

Shinya Wai

  • Ph.D. Student

  • Contact: slwai@uchicago.edu
  • Office Location:
    5640 South Ellis Avenue, Eckhardt Research Laboratory 108, Chicago, IL 60637

Shinya received a B.S. in NanoEngineering at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2020. At UCSD, he worked in Dr. Nisarg Shah’s lab. In Dr. Shah’s lab, Shinya worked on the application of immune checkpoint molecules and hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. In 2019, Shinya was selected to be part of the Amgen Scholars Program at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). At UCLA, he worked at Dr. Andrea Kasko’s lab and synthesized polymeric tobacco tar mimics for testing the effects of cigarette smoke on the immune system. At the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, Shinya is co-advised by Dr. Matthew Tirrell and Dr. Sihong Wang.

Shinya is working on the development of conducting polymeric materials with the capability to mitigate the foreign body response for applications in implantable electronics. His work involves taking advantage of the antifouling properties of zwitterionic polymers and using immunomodulatory agents to impart immune-compatibility to conducting polymers.

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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