Ajay Sapre
Associate Scientist at OHSU Knight Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center
Bioengineer | Nanotechnology | Single Cell | Cancer Detection
Curious bioengineer with individual and team contributor skills focused on translational technologies. Recently focused on integrating microfluidic dielectrophoresis and biological assays into a platform for rare cancer cell analysis resulting in publication. Graduate research experience with the design, synthesis, and characterization of nanoparticles including silica, lipid, gold, DNA, viral (Adenovirus, Adeno-associated Virus, and Lentivirus), and exosome particles for delivery of therapeutics.  Previous industry experience taught me the importance of effective communication to achieve results and exposed me to the challenges of product scale-up. Quantitatively driven and looking to work in Seattle on exciting new technologies to benefit patients.
OHSU Knight Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center
Applying learnings from iCORPS (short course) to new technology addressing current limitations of single cell platforms
Portland, Oregon, United States
Associate Scientist
OHSU Knight Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center
•	Team lead adapting single-cell NGS (MissionBio) workflow to validate novel rare circulating cancer cells as clinically relevant.
•      Co-lead of a multidisciplinary team developing a dielectrophoretic microfluidic chip to enrich for rare circulating cancer cells from blood with downstream biological readouts (ddPCR, imaging, FACS, NGS). Milestones met, on budget ($200k), manuscript published, provisional patent drafted, and with my leadership pitched to a local accelerator.
•	Co-inventor of novel method for single base resolution methylation analysis of RNA resulting in patent disclosure. Managing budget, experimental design, and execution.
•      Participated in Spring to Market workshop series, exposed to lean start-up principles, and managed team to define our value proposition. 
•	Independently designed a second generation of silica cloaking technology resulting in patent disclosure. 
•	Co-lead on exosome technical working group to facilitate collaborations and team science.
Portland, Oregon Area
Sr. Reseach Associate
StoneStable, Inc
https://www.linkedin.com/company/stonestable-inc
Providing subject matter expertise on experimental design and analysis for vaccine stabilization
Portland, Oregon, United States
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Silica Consultant
Oregon Health & Science University
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ohsu
Performing prior-art and competitive analysis for early stage in-house projects
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Technology Transfer Intern
UC San Diego
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ucsandiego
•	Developed and optimized a novel nanoparticle cloaking technology to improve viral vector (Ad, AAV) delivery with reduced immunogenicity for gene therapy and oncolytic viral therapy. Designed and executed in vitro and in vivo experiments using nanoparticle synthesis and characterization, cell culture, TEM, microscopy, flow cytometry, ddPCR, qPCR, and tissue processing resulting in quality publication.  
•	Multi-tasked and independently engaged in collaborations to characterize novel DNA nanoparticles with high avidity and optimized the synthesis of nano-scintillators resulting in additional publications. 
•	Mentored undergraduate researchers in hands-on research experience.
Moores Cancer Center, San Deigo, CA
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Graduate Student Researcher
Akzo Nobel Coatings
https://www.linkedin.com/company/akzonobel
• Acquired data to determine feasibility of lamination of polymers direct to metal as an innovative replacement for liquid coatings. Vetted lab scale twin extruder for Akzo R&D leading to first on-site purchase, which involved international and domestic travel.
Strongsville, OH
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Chemist II
Akzo Nobel Coatings
https://www.linkedin.com/company/akzonobel
•	Executed lab, pilot, and commercial-scale synthesis of repulpable paperboard coatings derived from recycled PET and acted as the liaison between departments. Doubled product stability at production scale by implementing process changes derived from lab-scale experimentation. Independently disseminated knowledge between teams from the lab to the production plant and became a resource for product production. Developed European compliant version by revising the catalyst system, which led to product purchase by McDonald's (UK).
•	Shepherded technology transfer of European overprint varnish to North America. Prepared resin for production at NA site at lab-scale.
•	Screened next-generation BPA-free monomers for internal food can coatings by synthesizing over 50 polymer resins leading to pilot testing.
Strongsville, OH
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Chemist
Case Western Reserve University
https://www.linkedin.com/company/case-western-reserve-university
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Research Associate
National Outdoor Leadership School
https://www.linkedin.com/company/nols
•	Learned leadership, risk management, and decision making skills through sea kayaking and mountain travel in the Patagonian wilderness.
•	Certified in Wilderness First Aid and  Adult and Child CPR & Airway Management .
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Semester in Patagonia, Chile
LaShanda Korley, Ph.D. Laboratory
https://www.linkedin.com/company/case-western-reserve-university
•	Worked on a novel drug delivery platform for Pc4, a photodynamic drug used to treat skin cancer.  Created electrospun polymer mats with seeded drug. Characterization done by Scanning Electron Microscopy.
•	Experimented with layer by layer polyelectrolyte self assembly and nanoparticle assembly for enzyme immobilization. Completed proof of concept experiments.
•	Studied morphology of homopolymer/copolymer blends using FT-IR and DSC.  Performed homopolymer/copolymer synthesis, learned synthesis techniques and was exposed to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Gel Permeation Chromatography.
Case Western Reserve University
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Arizona Heart Institute
https://www.linkedin.com/company/arizona-heart-institute
•	Participated in cardiovascular clinical rotations and spent over 50 hours in the operating room and observed patient/physician and physician/vendor interactions on a daily basis.  This was supported by classroom discussions with physicians and surgeons.
•	Gathered insight into medical devices and their implementation in a clinical setting.
Intern
Liquid Adventures Kayak School
•	Gained experience obtaining trust from students (ages 10-50) and creating an exciting learning environment for teaching beginner whitewater kayaking.
Office and Teaching Assistant
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Childrens Hospital
Provided age-appropriate activities and interactions for pediatric patients
Rainbow Activity Volunteer
INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital
Discharged patients, delivered lab work/flowers, and answered phone calls; completed over 100 hours of service
Volunteer
Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
Advisor: Sadik Esener, PhD
Dissertation Title: Nanoparticle Cloaking of Viral Vectors for Enhanced Gene Delivery
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
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University of California, San Diego
https://www.linkedin.com/school/ucsandiego/
Bachelor of Science 
summa cum laude
Biomedical Engineering, Tissue Engineering
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Case Western Reserve University
https://www.linkedin.com/school/case-western-reserve-university/
Cellular circulating biomarkers from the primary tumor such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating hybrid cells (CHCs) have been described to harbor tumor-like phenotype and genotype. CHCs are present in higher numbers than CTCs supporting their translational potential. Methods for isolation of CHCs do not exist and are restricted to low-throughput, time consuming, and biased methodologies. We report the development of a label-free dielectrophoretic microfluidic platform facilitating enrichment of CHCs in a high-throughput and rapid fashion by depleting healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We demonstrated up to 96.5% depletion of PBMCs resulting in 18.6-fold enrichment of cancer cells. In PBMCs from pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients, the platform enriched neoplastic cells identified by their KRAS mutant status using droplet digital PCR with one hour of processing. Enrichment was achieved in 75% of the clinical samples analyzed, establishing this approach as a promising way to non-invasively analyze tumor cells from patients.
Label-free enrichment of rare unconventional circulating neoplastic cells using a microfluidic dielectrophoretic sorting device
Nature Communications Biology
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02651-8
Metastatic progression defines the final stages of tumor evolution and underlies the majority of cancer-related deaths. The heterogeneity in disseminated tumor cell populations capable of seeding and growing in distant organ sites contributes to the development of treatment resistant disease. We recently reported the identification of a novel tumor-derived cell population, circulating hybrid cells (CHCs), harboring attributes from both macrophages and neoplastic cells, including functional characteristics important to metastatic spread. These disseminated hybrids outnumber conventionally defined circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in cancer patients. It is unknown if CHCs represent a generalized cancer mechanism for cell dissemination, or if this population is relevant to the metastatic cascade. Herein, we detect CHCs in the peripheral blood of patients with cancer in myriad disease sites encompassing epithelial and non-epithelial malignancies. Further, we demonstrate that in vivo-derived hybrid cells harbor tumor-initiating capacity in murine cancer models and that CHCs from human breast cancer patients express stem cell antigens, features consistent with the ability to seed and grow at metastatic sites. Finally, we reveal heterogeneity of CHC phenotypes reflect key tumor features, including oncogenic mutations and functional protein expression. Importantly, this novel population of disseminated neoplastic cells opens a new area in cancer biology and renewed opportunity for battling metastatic disease.
Relevance of Circulating Hybrid Cells as a Non-Invasive Biomarker for Myriad Solid Tumors
Scientific Reports
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93053-7
Recent studies have demonstrated that gas-stabilizing particles can generate cavitating micron-sized bubbles when exposed to ultrasound, offering excellent application potential, including ultrasound imaging, drug delivery, and tumor ablation. However, the majority of the reported gas-stabilizing particles are relatively large (>200 nm), and smaller particles require high acoustic pressures to promote cavitation. Here, this paper reports the preparation of sub-100nm gas-stabilizing nanoparticles (GSNs) that can initiate cavitation at low acoustic intensities, which can be delivered using a conventional medical ultrasound imaging system. The highly echogenic GSNs (F127-hMSN) were prepared by carefully engineering the surfaces of ~50 nm mesoporous silica nanoparticles. It was demonstrated that the F127-hMSNs could be continuously imaged with ultrasound in buffer or biological solutions or agarose phantoms for up to 20 min. Also, the F127-hMSN can be stored in PBS for at least a month with no loss in ultrasound responsiveness. The particles significantly degraded when diluted in simulated body fluids, indicating possible biodegradation of the F127-hMSNs in-vivo. Furthermore, at ultrasound imaging conditions, F127-hMSNs did not cause detectable cell death supporting the potential safety of these particles. Finally, strong cavitation activity generation by the F127-hMSNs under high intensity focused ultrasound insonation was demonstrated and applied to effectively ablate cancer cells.
Gas-Stabilizing sub-100 nm Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Ultrasound Theranostics
ACS Omega
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.0c03377
Viral gene therapy is a means of delivering genes to replace malfunctioning ones, to kill cancer cells, or to correct genetic mutations. This technology is emerging as a powerful clinical tool; however, it is still limited by viral tropism, uptake and clearance by the liver, and most importantly an immune response. To overcome these challenges, we sought to merge the robustness of viral gene expression and the versatility of nanoparticle technology. Here, we describe a method for cloaking adenovirus (Ad) in silica (SiAd) as a nanoparticle formulation that significantly enhances transduction. Intratumoral injections in human glioma xenografts revealed SiAd expressing luciferase improved tumor transduction while reducing liver uptake. In immune-competent mice SiAd induced no inflammatory cytokines and reduced production of neutralizing antibodies. Finally, SiAd expressing TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand inhibited tumor growth of glioma xenografts. These results reveal that silica cloaking of Ad can enhance viral gene delivery while reducing immunogenicity.
Silica cloaking of adenovirus enhances gene delivery while reducing immunogenicity
Journal of Controlled Release
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.01.034
We describe a sol-gel synthetic method for the production of praseodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) nanoparticles suitable for X-ray inducible photodynamic therapy (X-PDT). Our sol-gel based approach was optimized by varying temperature and time of calcination, resulting in nanoparticles that were smooth, spherical, and 50-200 nm in crystallite size. The powders were uniformly coated with a thin (10 nm) layer of silica to facilitate surface conjugation with functional moieties. Measurements of photon flux revealed that coated and uncoated powders emitted a similar photon emission spectrum in response to 50 keVp X-rays. We also determined that the presence of silica did not significantly reduce flux and the emission peak had a maximum at approximately 320 nm. Thus, these YAG:Pr powders are suitable candidates for future in vivo X-PDT studies.
Optimized Scintillator YAG:Pr Nanoparticles for X-ray Inducible Photodynamic Therapy
Materials Letters
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2018.05.090
High affinity and specificity are considered essential for affinity reagents and molecularly-targeted therapeutics, such as monoclonal antibodies. However, life's own molecular and cellular machinery consists of lower affinity, highly multivalent interactions that are metastable, but easily reversible or displaceable. With this inspiration, we have developed a DNA-based reagent platform that uses massive avidity to achieve stable, but reversible specific recognition of polyvalent targets. We have previously selected these DNA reagents, termed DeNAno, against various cells and now we demonstrate that DeNAno specific for protein targets can also be selected. DeNAno were selected against streptavidin-, rituximab- and bevacizumab-coated beads. Binding was stable for weeks and unaffected by the presence of soluble target proteins, yet readily competed by natural or synthetic ligands of the target proteins. Thus DeNAno particles are a novel biomolecular recognition agent whose orthogonal use of avidity over affinity results in uniquely stable yet reversible binding interactions.
Selection of DNA nanoparticles with preferential binding to aggregated protein target.
Nucleic Acids Research
http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/03/10/nar.gkw136.abstract
Translational training program for graduate students working on nanotechnology in the scope of cancer

http://kummel.ucsd.edu/crin/
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Cancer Researcher in Nanotechnology Fellowship
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute Med-into-Grad Scholar
For service to the BME community as President of the Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Society
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Biomedical Engineering Faculty Award
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Outstanding Junior Award of CWRU School of Engineering
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Outstanding Sophomore Award of CWRU School of Engineering
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President's Scholarship
Design of Experiments using JMP, 16-hour training
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Spring to Market
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AIARE 1
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Data Science: R Basics
HarvardX: PH125.1x
Finance for Everyone: Smart Tools for Decision-Making
MichiganX: FIN101x
The Science and Business of Biotechnology
MITx: 15.480x
https://www.linkedin.com/in/parul-katoch-73317b101
Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area
Parul Katoch
Scientist  | Project Management | Problem Solver|
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shandeed
Portland, OR
Shandee Dixon, Ph.D.
Associate Scientist, Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute | Assistant Director of Cancer Research Training, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute | Faculty Lead BUILD EXITO/ U-RISE/ PLUS, Portland State University
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-gomes-ms-phd-22684aa
United States
Michelle Gomes, MS, PhD
Knight Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center (CEDAR)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bekechuluun
San Diego, CA
Beke Chuluun
Researcher
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-huynh-04b205115
Portland, OR
Katherine Huynh
Biomedical Engineering PhD Candidate | Biomaterials | Tissue Engineering | Gene Therapy | Particle Fabrication
https://www.linkedin.com/in/smcabrera
United States
Stephen Mariano Cabrera
Senior Software Engineer at User Interviews
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-tuttle-84001a25
Virginia Beach, VA
Matthew Tuttle
Archaeologist
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thaddeus-swan-m-a-rpa-60914174
Colorado Springs, CO
Thaddeus Swan, M.A., RPA
Archaeologist | GIS | Geomorphology
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/allan-morton-5550321
Canada
Allan Morton
Heritage Assessments and Archaeological Surveys
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-petruso-6bb35a95
Arlington, TX
Karl Petruso
Archaeologist
https://www.linkedin.com/in/octavio-mondrag%C3%B3n-palomino-40a83818
Bethesda, MD
Octavio Mondragón-Palomino
Bioengineer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-kinney-5769b383
San Jose, CA
Justin Kinney
Neuroscientist and Bioengineer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wyatt-ellison-700921159
Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area
Wyatt Ellison
Archaeologist
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-barrett
Dallas, TX
Cody Barrett
Bioengineer at Scottish Rite for Children
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-smith-b479018
Cincinnati, OH
Matt Smith
Global Head of Software Development at Castleton Commodities International
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanfmonzon
United States
Juan Monzon
Archaeologist
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaleh-golkar-narenji
San Diego County, CA
Alaleh Golkar Narenji, PhD
Bioengineer/Scientist
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nupura-bhise-phd-bbaa7a57
Arlington, MA
Nupura Bhise, PhD
Senior Scientist at Syros Pharmaceuticals
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayathrivijayakumar
San Francisco Bay Area
Gayathri Vijayakumar, MS, PhD
Scientist/Virologist at Scribe Therapeutics
Liked by Ajay Sapre
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We’re growing the team at Parse! If you’re interested in working at the cutting edge of single cell omics and helping researchers across the world…
Liked by Ajay Sapre
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We are excited to announce the launch of OHSU Innovates! Scientists at OHSU relentlessly pursue new and better ways to make the world a healthier…
Liked by Ajay Sapre
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While I am more than a little bit behind on posting this, I am excited to announce that I successfully defended my PhD this past fall on work titled,…
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Raipur
ajay kumar sapre
Technical Support Engineer at IPE Global Limited
https://in.linkedin.com/in/ajay-sapre-0a077750
Kolhapur
Ajay Sapre
Director
https://in.linkedin.com/in/ajay-sapre-009743154
Washim
ajay sapre
Student at Nutan Vidyalay Jr. collage , Asangaon
https://in.linkedin.com/in/ajay-sapre-05400b19
Mumbai
Ajay Sapre
Exe.Vice President- Finance at Bharat Serums & Vaccines limited
UC San Diego Alumni
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/42184
NOLS Alumni
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/53363
Case Alumni Association
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2572281
Biomedical Engineering Society Network
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1236517