Bionano Therapeutics Lab

Welcome to the Bionano Therapeutics Lab at Louisiana State University

The research of the Bionano Therapeutics Lab aims at resolving challenging health problems associated with the central nervous system. Together with our collaborators, we integrate our specialty in biomedical engineering, chemistry, and neuroscience to investigate disease mechanisms and develop novel therapeutic strategies for cancers and neurological disorders. Our ultimate goal is to translate the preclinical results and technological inventions into more effective treatments for all individuals affected by these diseases. 

Group News

• 04/02/2025 We participated in 2025 ENGage LSU and demonstrated Cancer Treatment Garden to middle school students (grades 6-8). Thank you, Salona and Daniel for your help!

• 03/18/2025 Dr. Cai presented at the LSU Provost’s Fund Symposium.

• 02/28/2025 Salona's work was presented at the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics World Congress 2025. Congratulations!

• 12/10/2024 Dr. Cai's collaborative paper has been accepted at ACS Nano. 

• 10/28/2024 Aseel and Enson presented their summer research at LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center Retreat. Good job!

• 09/15/2024 Daniel won first place in the student poster competition at the 40th Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference. Congratulations!

• 09/14/2024 Dr. Cai chaired and presented at the 40th Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference. 

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Recent Publication

6. T. W. Leong, Z. Gao, E. T. David, X. Li, Q. Cai, J. M. Mwirigi, T. Zhang, M. Giannotta, E. Dejana, J. Wiggins, S. Krishnagiri, R. M. Bachoo, X. Ge, T. J. Price, Z. Qin. Spatially Precise and Minimally Invasive Delivery of Peptides to the Spinal Cord for Behavior Modulation. ACS Nano, accepted. 2024.

5. H. Xiong, B. A. Wilson, X. Ge, X. Gao, Q. Cai, X. Xu, R. Bachoo, Z, Qin. Glioblastoma margin as a diffusion barrier revealed by photoactivation of plasmonic nanovesicles. Nano Letters, 2024, 24, 5, 1570–1578. 

4. Q. Cai#, H. Fan, X. Li, M. Giannotta, R. Bachoo, Z. Qin#. Optical modulation of the blood-brain barrier for glioblastoma treatment. Bio-protocol, 2024, 14(2): e4920. (#co-corresponding author)

3. X. Ge, X.Xu, Q. Cai, H. Xiong, C. Xie, Y. Hong, X. Gao, Y. Yao, R. Bachoo, Z. Qin. Live mapping of the brain extracellular matrix and remodeling in neurological disorders. Small Methods, 2023, 2301117. 

2. Q. Cai, X. Li, H. Xiong, H. Fan, X. Gao, V. Vemireddy, R. Margolis, J. Li, M. Giannotta, K. Hoyt, R. Bachoo, Z. Qin. Optical blood-brain-tumor barrier modulation expands therapeutic options for glioblastoma treatment. Nature Communications, 2023, 14, 4934.

1. T. W. Leong, A. Pal, Q. Cai, Z. Gao, X. Li, L. Bleris, H. N. Hayenga, Z. Qin. Clinical gene therapy development for the central nervous system: Candidates and challenges for AAVs. Journal of Controlled Release, 2023, 357, 511-530.

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