Fischell Institute Affiliate Fellow Spotlight: Hannah Zierden

Hannah Zierden recently joined the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices as an Affiliate Fellow. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Zierden’s research has focused on vaginal drug delivery, fetal neurodevelopment, and extracellular vesicles (EVs) – the biologically-generated structures that naturally transfer nucleic acids, proteins, and small molecules between cells.

Zierden earned her Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Johns Hopkins University working under the mentorship of Drs. Laura Ensign and Justin Hanes. Her thesis work investigated how the vaginal microbiome affects mucus barrier properties during pregnancy, informing the design of vaginally delivered therapeutics for the prevention of preterm birth.

As a postdoctoral researcher, Zierden worked in the laboratory of Dr. Tracy Bale at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The Bale lab studies how the maternal environment impacts fetal neurodevelopment; put simply, the group asks questions about how the first nine months of neurodevelopment affect the next 90 years of a person’s health and the development of any neurological diseases. Zierden investigated how EVs from the placenta communicate with maternal tissues to manage the energy balance required to maintain both maternal and fetal health.

Currently, the Zierden lab is combining Zierden’s interdisciplinary training in chemical engineering and neurodevelopmental biology to ask how the maternal vaginal microbiome communicates with host tissues, specifically during pregnancy. Zierden and her group are also interested in using biological nanoparticles as biocompatible drug delivery vehicles to treat obstetric and gynecologic indications.

“Women’s health is so understudied,” Zierden said. “Not only do I think our questions are important to answer, but I also think there are a lot of opportunities for engineers to come up with better ways to solve problems that millions of women face every day.”

Zierden hopes her lab will foster an inclusive and engaging environment to help support the next generation of ethical and socially conscious scientists. Much of the group’s work addresses health concerns that disproportionately affect women and children of color. “I hope that my students learn to appreciate the importance of our questions in the very real scope of human health and well-being,” said Zierden.

In the future, Zierden’s work has the potential to expand to other disease indications. “While we’re focused on maternal and fetal health, for now, we are also interested in exploring ways in which bacterial EVs contribute to other adverse health outcomes.”

Outside of the lab, Zierden enjoys traveling, scuba diving, and backpacking with her husband.

Published December 12, 2022