MembersAriel Stiber

My projects generally involve the application of photonics to study immune cells. In the Dionne group, we create lanthanide doped nanoparticles that have the unique optical property that they can emit light at a higher energy than they absorb. My work involves the synthesis and functionalization of multispectrally-doped upconverting nanoparticles as non-invasive, long-term, biocompatible optical probes that image cell receptors over space and time at the immune synapse. These nanoparticles can be further harnessed in the future as force sensors to elucidate the impact of mechanical force in immune interactions.

Additionally, I am using Raman spectroscopy to differentiate engineered from native immune cells, specifically in Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. By combining Raman and Machine Learning I hope to generate a quick, low-cost method of CAR T cell quantification in patient blood samples during cancer treatment. Overall, my interest lies in studying aspects of the immune system that because of issues of environment or timescale are not easily observed.