Stephanie Curley

Research interests

My research is focused at the interface of biology and nanotechnology. Specifically, I use
biological nanoparticles (viruses and vesicles) to solve problems in human health. I am interested
in drug delivery, immunoengineering, and vaccine development.

Currently, research in my lab is on three main areas:

1. Designing novel vaccines for Lyme disease. This research is directed toward using outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) as a vaccine platform. OMVs are spherical nanoparticles derived from bacteria. They function as immune system-activating compounds. We can genetically engineer the bacteria producing the OMVs to also express Lyme antigen proteins, making this platform multi-functional. We are currently investigating if the OMVs are capable of expressing various Lyme disease antigens on their surface. This project is currently NSF-funded (# 2347479).
2. Understanding the effect of particle size on the immune response. There are distinct immunologic differences between bacterial and viral infections. Viruses are on the order of 10-100 nm in size, whereas bacteria are 10-100 times this size. Our goal is to determine if the size difference matters to the immune system by using OMVs. OMVs are about 120 nm in size, putting them on par with viruses. We are investigating ways to increase the size of our OMVs in order to study the immune response.
3. Developing mucosal vaccine platforms. Most infectious diseases access our bodies through our mucus membranes. However, most injectable vaccines do not result in robust mucosal immunity. We currently designing thin film vaccines to administer to the oral mucosa, and monitoring film breakdown, antigen release, and storage stability. The Curley Lab is always looking for students to join us! If you’re interested in any of this research, check out the Curley Lab Instagram page, and email Dr. Curley for more information!