Center for Nanomedicine

The Johns Hopkins Center for Nanomedicine (CNM) brings together engineers, scientists, and clinicians working together under one roof on translation of novel drug and gene delivery technologies. The focus is to overcome major challenges to drug efficacy, including biological barriers to delivery, patient compliance, and toxicity. Furthermore, we educate and train the next generation of researchers to innovate at the interface of engineering, medicine, and the life sciences in the development of drug delivery technologies with potential for clinical implementation. We believe that collaboration and commitment to diversity are key in having the maximum impact on human health.

What is nanomedicine?

Nanomedicine is defined as the medical application of nanotechnology. In the CNM, we focus on harnessing nanotechnology to more effectively diagnose, treat, and prevent various diseases. Our entire bodies are exposed to the medicines that we take, which can lead to unpleasant side effects and minimize the amount of medicine that reaches the places where it is needed. Medications can be more efficiently delivered to the site of action using nanotechnology, resulting in improved outcomes with less medication.

Translation

We design our nanotechnology-based platforms for clinical translation. What this means is that we strive for innovative simplicity and the use of components that have a history of medical safety, so that our nanomedicines can be tested in clinical trials and developed into useful products. To this end, we often design our platforms to mimic nature or select our systems based on how they naturally distribute in the body. To date, our faculty have founded more than 10 start-up companies, resulting in several FDA-approved products and others being tested in clinical trials.

Current Research Topics Research

We design our nanotechnology-based platforms for clinical translation. We strive for innovative simplicity and the use of components that have a history of medical safety, so that our nanomedicines can be tested in clinical trials and developed into useful products. To this end, we often design our platforms to mimic nature or select our systems based on how they naturally distribute in the body.

Ocular

Focus areas: Glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic macular edema, uveitis, dry eye disease, corneal neovascularization, corneal graft rejection, thyroid eye disease, cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, ocular trauma

Cancer

Focus areas: Immunotherapy, cancers of the pancreas, cervix, ovary, lung, brain, bladder, and colorectum

Inflammation

Focus areas: COVID-19, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis, various cancers, intrauterine inflammation, atherosclerosis, arthritis

Lung Disease

Focus areas: Cystic fibrosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer

Women's Health

Focus areas: Preterm birth, intrauterine inflammation, infections, in vitro fertilization, reproductive tract cancers, contraception

Central Nervous System

Focus areas: Brain tumors, cerebral palsy, neonatal stroke, traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorders, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease

Our Team

The CNM team includes basic science and clinical faculty, research staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduates. Our goal is to train, mentor, and promote inclusive and supportive research environments.

In addition to a rigorous and broad training in unbiased experimental design, methods, data analysis, interpretation, and reporting, we strive to support our trainees in career and professional development. We proudly support diverse career goals, and our alumni have gone on to careers in academia, industry, regulatory, venture capital, consulting, science communication, policy, law, and medicine. We participate in numerous training programs that promote and develop trainees from low income and underrepresented groups in biomedical research.

Director & Co-Director

Justin Scot Hanes, Ph.D.
- Director, Center for Nanomedicine
- Professor of Ophthalmology
- Professor of Neurosurgery
- Professor of Oncology
- Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
Kannan Rangaramanujam, Ph.D., M.S.
- Co-Director, Center for Nanomedicine
- Professor of Ophthalmology

Faculty

Laura Ensign-Hodges, Ph.D.
- Marcella E. Woll Professor of Ophthalmology
- Professor of Ophthalmology
- Professor of Biomedical Engineering
- Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics
- Professor of Medicine
- Professor of Oncology
- Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
Ian Pitha, M.D., Ph.D.
- Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Samuel Chi-Hung Yiu, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.
- Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Kunal Sailesh Parikh, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology