Faculty Directory

Education

• B.S. Chemical Engineering, Florida State University
• Ph.D. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

Professional Memberships

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• Biomedical Engineering Society
• Biophysical Society
• Controlled Release Society
• American Thoracic Society

Selected Honors and Awards

• 2022: Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering journal Young Innovator Award
• 2021: BMES Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award
• 2021: BIOE Faculty Teaching Award
• 2021: NSF CAREER Award
• 2020: BMES-CMBE Rising Star Award
• 2019: Langmuir Early Career Advisory Board Member
• 2018: Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award
• 2017: Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface

Complex biological fluids & interfaces, nanoparticle drug delivery, viral gene delivery, respiratory infection, lung diseases

Our research is focused on using nanotechnology and bioengineering as tools to broaden understanding of the lung airway microenvironment in order to develop state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. These efforts are built on our group’s expertise in designing novel measurement schemes and bioengineered models, capable of shedding new light on previously unstudied aspects of the lung airways. The nature of this work requires an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach where we work closely with basic and clinical scientists in order to successfully work towards our research goals. Specific areas of interest in our laboratory include:

• Lung airway mucus clearance in health & disease
• Host-pathogen interactions in respiratory infections (e.g. influenza)
• Engineering mucin biomaterials for biology & medicine
• Overcoming biological barriers to drug & gene delivery

BIOE331 - Biofluids

BIOE386 - Bioengineering Design & Teamwork

BIOE489K - Pulmonary Engineering

BIOE689R - Biopolymers

Recent articles:

• Cahn D, Amosu M, Maisel K, Duncan GA. “Biomaterials for intranasal and inhaled vaccine delivery”. Nature Reviews Bioengineering​. 1-2, 2023.
• Song D, Iverson E, Kaler L, Boboltz A, Scull MA, Duncan GA. “MUC5B mobilizes and MUC5AC spatially aligns mucociliary transport on human airway epithelium”. Science Advances​. 8, eabq504, 2022.
• Cahn D, Duncan GA. "High-Density Branched PEGylation for Nanoparticle Drug Delivery". Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. 15, 355–366, 2022.
• Kaler L, Joyner K, Duncan GA. "Machine Learning Informed Prediction of Nanoparticle Mobility and Fate in the Mucus Barrier". APL Bioengineering. 6, 026103, 2022.

Full listing of publications available on Google Scholar.