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Awarded patents

  1. Fernandes R, Dumont MF, Sze RW, Conklin LS, Jaiswal JK, Hoffman HA. “Prussian-blue inspired constructs for multimodal imaging and therapy.” US Patent 9,561,183

  2. Fernandes R, Dumont MF, Sze RW, Conklin LS, Jaiswal JK, Hoffman HA. "Prussian blue-inspired constructs for multimodal imaging and therapy." US Patent 9,987,378.

  3. Fernandes R, Sze RW, Cruz CRY, Sandler AD, Bollard CM, Sweeney EE, Cano-Mejia J, Burga RA, Dumont MF. “Functionalized prussian blue nanoparticles, combination prussian blue nanoparticle-based nano-immunotherapy and applications thereof,” US Patent 11931465B2.

  4. Fernandes R, Sweeney EE, Cano-Mejia J. “Prussian blue nanoparticles functionalized with immune signals and applications thereof,” US Patent 11672861B2.

Patents pending

  1. Fernandes R, Sweeney EE, Balakrishnan P, Cruz CRY, Sekhri P, Tovar M. "Nanoparticle-mediated immune cell manufacture and applications thereof," Patent Application Number Pending.

  2. Fernandes R, Sweeney EE, Balakrishnan P, Medina J. "Method for treating checkpoint inhibitor-resistant cancer using Prussian blue nanoparticle-based photothermal therapy combined with immune cell stimulating agonistic agents," Patent Application Number Pending.

Peer-reviewed research articles

  • Sweeney EE, Sekhri P, Muniraj N, Chen J, Feng S, Terao J, Chin SJ, Schmidt DS, Bollard CM, Cruz CRY, Fernandes R. "Photothermal Prussian blue nanoparticles generate potent multi-targeted tumor-specific T cells as an adoptive cell therapy," Bioengineering & Translational Medicine 2023, doi: 10.1002/btm2.10639.

  • Sweeney EE*, Sekhri P*, Telaraja D, Chen J, Chin SJ, Chiappinelli KB, Sanchez CE, Bollard CM, Cruz CRY, Fernandes R.  "Engineered tumor-specific T cells using immunostimulatory photothermal nanoparticles," Cytotherapy 2023 25(7), 718, doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2023.03.014.

  • Ledezma DK, Balakrishnan PB, Shukla A, Medina JA, Chen J, Oakley E, Bollard CM, Shafirstein G, Miscuglio M, Fernandes R. "Interstitial Photothermal Therapy Generates DurableTreatment Responses in Neuroblastoma," Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2022, doi: 10.1002/adhm.202201084.

  • Sekhri P, Ledezma DK, Shukla A, Sweeney EE*, Fernandes R*. "The Thermal Dose of Photothermal Therapy Generates Differential Immunogenicity in Human Neuroblastoma Cells," Cancers, 2022, doi: 10.3390/cancers14061447.

  • Balakrishnan PB, Ledezma DK, Cano-Mejia J, Andricovich J, Palmer E, Patel VA, Latham PS, Yvon ES, Villagra A, Fernandes R*, Sweeney EE*. "CD137 agonist potentiates the abscopal efficacy of nanoparticle-based photothermal therapy for melanoma," Nano Research, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s12274-021-3813-1.
  • Shukla A, Cano-Mejia J, Andricovich J, Burga RA, Sweeney EE, Fernandes R. "An Engineered Prussian Blue Nanoparticles‐Based Nanoimmunotherapy Elicits Robust and Persistent Immunological Memory in a TH‐MYCN Neuroblastoma Model," Advanced NanoBiomed Research, 2100021, 2021.

  • Cano-Mejia J, Shukla A, Ledezma DK, Palmer E, Villagra A, Fernandes R. "CpG-coated Prussian blue nanoparticles-based photothermal therapy combined with anti-CTLA-4 immune checkpoint blockade triggers a robust abscopal effect against neuroblastoma," Translational Oncology, Vol. 13, No. 10, 100823, 2020.

  • Cano-Mejia J, Bookstaver ML, Sweeney EE, Jewell CM and Fernandes R. "Prussian blue nanoparticles-based antigenicity and adjuvanticity trigger robust antitumor immune responses against neuroblastoma," Biomaterials Science, Vol .7, 1875-1887, 2019.

  • Sweeney EE*, Cano-Mejia J* and Fernandes R. "Photothermal therapy generates a thermal window of immunogenic cell death in neuroblastoma, " Small, Vol. 14, No. 20, 1800678, 2018.

  • Cano-Mejia J, Burga RA, Sweeney EE, Fisher JP, Bollard CM, Sandler AD, Cruz CRY and Fernandes R. “Prussian blue nanoparticle-based photothermal therapy combined with checkpoint inhibition for photothermal immunotherapy of neuroblastoma,” Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine, Vol. 13, No. 2, 771-781, 2017.

  • Sweeney EE, Burga RA, Li C, Zhu Y and Fernandes R. “Photothermal therapy improves the efficacy of a MEK inhibitor in neurofibromatosis type 1-associated malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors,” Scientific Reports, Vol. 6, No. 37035, 2016.

  • Burga RA, Patel S, Bollard CM, Cruz CRY and Fernandes R. "Conjugating Prussian blue nanoparticles onto antigen-specific T cells as a combined nanoimmunotherapy," Nanomedicine, Vol. 11, No. 14,  1759-1767, 2016. ​

  • Hoffman HA, Chakrabarti L, Dumont MF, Sandler AD and Fernandes R. “Prussian blue nanoparticles for laser-induced photothermal therapy of tumors,” RSC Advances, Vol. 4, No. 56, 29729-29734, 2014.

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