Dr. Xiaoping Bao, Assistant Professor in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, is winner of the 2019 LG Chem Global Innovation Contest award for his research in human-induced pluripotent stem cells, or hiPSCs.

Dr. Bao’s research proposal, “Biomanufacturing Universal Natural Killer Cells from hiPSCs for Immunotherapy,” will explore the potential of natural killer (NK) cells, a type of innate immune cells, from hiPSCs for cancer treatment. The proposal will focus on the development of chemically-defined, cost-effective protocols to produce and manufacture NK cells from hiPSCs. By harnessing the recent CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tool, this new research will also engineer hiPSCs as universal immune protective donor cells and differentiate them into off-the-shelf NK cells for potential allogeneic transplantation that could be applicable to every patient, opening up new avenues for cancer treatment. The 2019 LG Chem Global Innovation award includes generous grant funding of $150,000 annually for multi-year research activities. Dr. Bao was selected through a rigorous application and evaluation process.

“The LG Chem GIC award will provide an innovative way to generate immune cells and thus enhance our ability to treat cancer using the immunotherapy approach,” said Dr. Bao. The award will also provide an opportunity for the Bao research group to pursue translational research projects and develop promising future technologies through the corporate-academia collaboration.

Dr. Bao pointed out that the synergistic collaboration and strong preliminary data helped him secure the award. “These relationships will ensure the success of this project and accelerate progress in a way that would not be possible by independent efforts.”   

Dr. Xiaojun (Lance) Lian, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Biology at Penn State University, is working with Dr. Bao on this project.

Dr. Bao’s research lab uses innovative technologies to engineer stem cells as models of human development and disease, as well to develop cellular and molecular therapies as next-generation of medicine for degenerative diseases, including cardiac cells for heart diseases, β cells for diabetes, immune cells for cancers, and other human development and heath areas.

Dr. Bao joined Purdue Chemical Engineering in January 2019, following a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California-Berkeley (2016-2018). He earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University (2011), and PhD (2016) in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Learn more about Dr. Xiaoping Bao at: https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE/people/ptProfile?resource_id=210038

Learn more about the LG Chem Global Innovation award at: http://www.rnd.lgchem.com/global/gic/programIntro