SenThera Laboratory

Sensing · Nanotechnology · Targeted Therapeutics

Small materials that sense, carry and treat.

The SenThera Laboratory designs nanoscale biosensors and targeted therapeutic systems: tools that find disease early and deliver treatment only where it is needed.

Shokoufeh Soleimani, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences South College School of Pharmacy
Explore the research Publications

Research

Three connected areas

The lab works across the full path from material design to biological function. Sensing, nanomaterials and targeted therapy share the same core question: how to make a material recognize one molecule, one microbe or one cell type among thousands.

01 · SENSING

Biosensors and diagnostic platforms

Electrochemical and optical sensors that detect proteins, nucleic acids, pathogens, drugs and cancer biomarkers quickly, at low concentration, and outside the central lab.

  • Electrochemical
  • Optical & fluorescent
  • Surface plasmon resonance
  • Microfluidic
  • Point-of-care & portable
  • Aptasensors & immunosensors
  • Machine learning readout

02 · NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nanomaterial design and characterization

Synthesis, surface engineering and characterization of nanoparticles and nanostructures, with control of size, charge, morphology, loading and release.

  • Carbon nanotubes
  • Liposomes & micelles
  • Polymeric nanoparticles
  • Mesoporous silica
  • Magnetic nanoparticles
  • Nanofibers
  • Hydrogels
  • Nanoemulsions
MWCNT · 3D MODEL
Illustration of a scanning electron micrograph: a random mat of polymer nanofibers.SEM · NANOFIBERS
03 · TARGETED THERAPEUTICS

Targeted and controlled-release therapy

Carriers that recognize diseased cells and release drugs or radiotherapy at the site, to raise efficacy and reduce side effects. Includes theranostic systems that treat and report at the same time.

  • Ligand-targeted nanoparticles
  • Antibody–drug conjugates
  • Peptide-targeted carriers
  • Aptamer–drug conjugates
  • Stimuli-responsive release
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Theranostics
Illustration of a fluorescence micrograph: cells with blue nuclei and green cytoplasm, with magenta nanoparticles taken up around each nucleus.FLUORESCENCE · CELL UPTAKE

Micrographs on this page are illustrations. They can be replaced with images from your own experiments.

Research highlight

A CD19-targeted radiopharmaceutical for B-cell lymphomas and leukemias

A precision delivery platform that pairs molecular targeting with the potency of radiotherapy.

  • Characterizing the biophysical and structural properties of the CD19-binding ligand to optimize stability and binding.
  • Radiolabeling the targeting ligand and evaluating its tumor-targeting capability in cancer models.

How it works

The journey of a targeted nanocarrier

A short animation of the principle behind targeted therapy: a carrier circulates, finds its cell, enters it, and releases its payload while reporting a signal.

Publications

Publications

    Conference presentation

    1. 2024

      Robust Aptasensor Design for S. aureus Detection

      Soleimani, S. · AIChE Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, October 27–31

    Expertise

    Methods and techniques

    Analytical

    ElectrochemistryUV-VisFT-IRFluorescenceCircular dichroismHPLC / GCFlow cytometrySurface plasmon resonanceIsothermal titration calorimetryDLS / zeta potentialELISAPCRSELEXWestern blotGel electrophoresis

    Nanosystems

    Electrochemical sensorsOptical sensorsMicrofluidic sensorsImmunosensorsAptasensorsLiposomesMicellesHydrogelsNanofibersNanoemulsionsNanopolymersAntibody–drug conjugatesPeptide-targeted carriers

    Microscopy, biology, computation

    SEMTEMAFMConfocal microscopyMammalian cell cultureMicrobial cultureAnimal studiesMachine learningChemometricsComputational modeling

    Contact

    Get in touch

    Open to research collaborations in biosensing, nanomaterials, drug delivery and targeted therapeutics.

    Emailssoleimani@south.edu
    PositionAssistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South College School of Pharmacy