Dr. Jean-Phillipe Pellois
I am a Professor of Biochemistry at Texas A&M University. Over the years, my group has combined
chemistry, protein engineering, and cell biology to develop technologies that overcome barriers to intracellular delivery. Equipped with new molecular tools, we are now able to explore the inner workings of cells in the central nervous system and investigate strategies to prevent functional loss after injury—for example, promoting recovery after spinal cord injury or protecting vision after eye
trauma.
Beyond research, I am dedicated to mentoring and training the next generation of scientists, encouraging them to think creatively at the interface of biochemistry and medicine.
Teams
Jason Snowden, Graduate Student
My research focuses on adapting viral entry mechanisms into tools for the intracellular delivery of biologics in human cells. I aim to mimic viral strategies to create endosomal escape reagents that function at very low doses, which is essential for compatibility with in vivo applications in sensitive or hard-to-transfect cells. I also collaborate with Brendan Le to design virus-like particles (VLPs) optimized for RNA delivery into human neurons with high efficiency and low toxicity. My work draws on protein engineering, computational design, and membrane/cell-based assays.
Kayla Leonard, Undergraduate Student
My goal is to develop a reliable method for the high-purity, low-cost production of human mRNA using E. coli expression systems. This work addresses one of the major bottlenecks in RNA therapeutics—scalable and affordable RNA synthesis. I collaborate with Jason Snowden to test and apply our RNA production methods in delivery systems.
Shaun Ellis, Undergraduate Student
I am an undergraduate Biochemistry Major studying how viral proteins interact with lipid bilayers using molecular simulations. My project explores the rules that govern how proteins engage with membranes, how these interactions drive processes like viral entry, and how they can be re-engineered into delivery reagents. By building and analyzing computational models, I aim to uncover principles that can guide the design of more efficient endosomal escape tools. This work complements our experimental studies by providing a molecular-level view of events that are difficult to observe directly in the lab.
Nathan Williams, Graduate Student
I am investigating how small molecules and clinically relevant drugs can boost the activity of endosomal escape peptides, unlocking new ways to achieve unprecedented levels of cytosolic delivery of protein therapeutics. My goal is to make macromolecule delivery into cells both efficient and non-toxic. To understand these mechanisms, I use flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and a variety of biophysical assays to track delivery and peptide–drug interactions.
Trent Harlan, Undergraduate Student
I am a senior biochemistry student from Kingwood, TX. My project aims to identify potent combinations of small molecules and peptides that increase the efficiency with which protein drugs enter cells. By screening libraries of drug–peptide pairs in mammalian cell culture and analyzing outcomes with flow cytometry, I am learning how different compounds cooperate to overcome cellular barriers. Through this work, I hope to uncover general rules of molecular interaction that can be applied to design safer and more effective protein delivery systems.
Brendan Le, Graduate Student
My goal is to learn how to trigger the disassembly of RNA-containing capsids upon entry into human cells. This is a key step for delivery applications that rely on RNA molecules such as RNAi, mRNA, or CRISPR–Cas9. I use protein engineering, particle-tracking techniques, electrophoresis, and advanced fluorescence microscopy to study how capsids behave and how to optimize their disassembly.
Asha Thirunarayanan, Undergraduate Student
I am a second-year biochemistry and genetics major. My project explores how to engineer proteins with modular linkers, allowing their surface properties to be tuned without altering the underlying nucleic acid sequence. This work will help us create customizable capsid surfaces for cell targeting. In the future, I plan to pursue pharmacy.
Ester Edwards, Undergraduate Student
I am a chemistry major studying how changes in capsid protein structure affect their properties, including assembly, disassembly, solubility, and aggregation. By clarifying these structure–function relationships, I aim to improve the design of capsids for RNA and protein delivery applications.
Abdur Rahman, Graduate Student
My research aims to develop capsids that encapsulate RNA and selectively target neurons or astrocytes. By optimizing capsids for controlled uptake, my goal is to trigger precise neuroregenerative responses in the context of spinal cord injury. I am also applying this approach to the eye, where targeted delivery to retinal ganglion cells or Müller glia could promote neuroprotection after traumatic injury.
John Paul Gorley, Undergraduate Student
I focus on establishing chemical and biochemical strategies to modify the surface of capsids with ligands that improve their purification, stability, and cell-targeting capabilities. This work aims to expand the versatility of capsids as delivery vehicles.
Alexander Rincon, Undergraduate Student
I am developing ligands that promote neuron-specific uptake of capsids. My project studies how ligand density and surface distribution influence uptake efficiency, with the goal of achieving precise and selective delivery into neuronal cells.
Shafi Talukder, Graduate Student
My research goal is to prevent neuronal cell death after injury by delivering proteins that block apoptosis into vulnerable neurons. I am particularly interested in viral proteins that naturally inhibit apoptosis in their hosts. By re-engineering these viral strategies, I aim to create safe and effective reagents that can provide neuroprotection and promote recovery in human cells and tissues. My work combines protein engineering, neuronal cell culture, and functional assays to evaluate protective effects, with the long-term objective of developing therapies that support eye and spinal cord resilience after trauma.
Evan Strickland, Undergraduate Student
I am a junior from League City, TX. My project focuses on how the vitreous humor of the eye influences the efficiency of protein delivery tools during retinal injections. Using porcine eye dissection and peptide transport assays, I study how endosomal escape peptides behave within this unique biological environment.
Asad Karim, Graduate Student
My project seeks to achieve the rapid and selective deletion of proteins that block neuronal regeneration after injury. To do this, I am engineering protein degraders that can recognize intracellular targets with high specificity and recruit the cell’s natural degradation machinery. This work combines protein engineering to design and optimize degrader molecules, with delivery technologies that ensure efficient entry into neurons. I use a variety of techniques, including molecular cloning, recombinant protein expression, biochemical characterization, mammalian cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry to evaluate activity and specificity. By integrating these approaches, my goal is to open new research avenues for studying neuroregeneration and recovery.
Ivan Carcamo, Undergraduate Student
I am developing antibodies fused with degradation signals to target specific proteins for removal. This strategy integrates antibody selectivity with intracellular protein degradation pathways to precisely control protein levels.
Ishita Sharma, Undergraduate Student
I am optimizing the delivery of antibodies into neurons by improving their endocytic uptake. My project focuses on making antibody delivery more efficient and reliable for therapeutic applications.
