BIOE Seminar: Engineering protein material interfaces for medical applications
Friday, September 19, 20259:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
A. James Clark Hall, Room #2121
Steven Jay
smjay@umd.edu
Luis Alvarez
CEO & Founder
Theradaptive, Inc
Engineering protein material interfaces for medical applications
Abstract
This seminar explores novel approaches in protein engineering to create functionalized biomaterials that address critical challenges in regenerative medicine and cancer immunotherapy. By leveraging rational design, directed evolution, and computational modeling, we can develop proteins with tailored properties that transform inert materials into bioactive scaffolds capable of directing cellular behavior and tissue regeneration. In bone regeneration applications, we examine how engineered proteins incorporating specific cell-signaling motifs and binding domains can be immobilized on inorganic material surfaces to accelerate osseointegration and enhance bone healing. For immuno-oncology applications, we discuss the design of protein-functionalized materials that can modulate immune cell responses, including engineered interleukins to create localized immunostimulatory microenvironments for enhanced tumor targeting. The seminar will highlight recent advances in protein-material coupling strategies, spatiotemporal control of protein presentation, and the translation of these engineered systems from bench to bedside, demonstrating how the intersection of protein engineering and materials science is opening new therapeutic avenues for previously intractable medical challenges.
Speaker Bio
Luis Alvarez, PhD is the CEO and Founder of Theradaptive, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering precision protein therapeutics for tissue regeneration and targeted therapeutic delivery. A retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of service, Dr. Alvarez was inspired to develop innovative regenerative medicine solutions after witnessing severe extremity injuries among soldiers during his combat tour in Iraq. He previously served as the co-founding Deputy Director of the Department of Defense Regenerative Medicine Program and was a DARPA Service Chief Fellow. Dr. Alvarez earned his bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and his PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT as a Hertz Foundation Fellow, where he specialized in protein engineering for targeted therapeutic delivery using biomaterials. Since founding Theradaptive in 2017, he has led the development of transformational protein-based therapeutics that have earned multiple FDA Breakthrough Device Designations, advancing novel approaches in orthopedics, spine surgery, and immuno-oncology applications.
Audience: Clark School All Students Graduate Undergraduate Faculty Staff