Derfogail Delcassian
Assistant Professor in Department of Bioengineering
Email: ddelcassian@berkeley.edu
Phone: (510) 643-6610
Office Address: 281 Hearst Memorial Mining Building
Dr. Derfogail Delcassian is a scientist, engineer and entrepreneur designing healthcare and engineering technologies for the future. She is currently based between the USA and Europe. Her research interests are in immunoengineering, combining her expertise in chemistry, materials science, immunology and nanomedicine. Dr. Delcassian designs biomaterials to direct and control immune cells inside and outside of the body. She builds artificial cells/lymph nodes, and targeted drug and gene delivery systems to train and instruct immune cells. These biomaterials can be used to train the immune system to fight cancer, or to help prevent rejection of organ transplants by the host immune system. Dr. Delcassian has attracted significant independent peer-reviewed funding and has been awarded a number of national and international awards to support her research.
Alongside her research, Dr. Delcassian is passionate about the translation of healthcare research from the bench to patients. She works with entrepreneurs, government agents and researchers to advocate for safe and accelerated translation of scientific research. In her spare time, she keeps herself busy engaging with the next generation of scientists, developing new strategies for ecological urban regeneration, or adventuring outdoors on expeditions around the world.
Research Description
The development of immunoengineering technologies to direct immune cell function. We build artificial lymph nodes, mRNA vaccines and 3D printed interfaces to study and control immune cell behaviour. These technologies have applications in cancer therapy, inducing transplant tolerance, spaceflight and auto-immune diseases.
Research
Education
- 2014, Ph.D., Materials, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London, UK
- 2010, M.Chem., Chemistry, University of York, UK
Publications
- Shan, Xinzhu; Zhao, Zhiqiang; Lai, Pingping; Liu, Yuxiu; Li, Buyao; Ke, Yubin; Jiang, Hanqiu; Zhou, Yilong; Li, Wenzhe; Wang, Qian; Qin, Pengxia; Xue, Yizhe; Zhang, Zihan; Wei, Chenlong; Ma, Bin; Liu, Wei; Luo, Cong; Lu, Xueguang; Lin, Jiaqi; Shu, Li; Jie, Yin; Xian, Xunde; Delcassian, Derfogail; Ge, Yifan; Miao, Lei, “RNA nanotherapeutics with fibrosis overexpression and retention for MASH treatment” Journal Article In: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, vol. 15, no. 1, 2024.