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Welcome to Gu Group
The Gu Group (iMedication Lab) at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) aims to develop transformative drug delivery systems, especially for treating cancer and diabetes, as well as enhancing people's quality of life.
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Therapeutic Gel
In Situ Formed Reactive Oxygen Species-Responsive Scaffold with Gemcitabine and Checkpoint Inhibitor for Combination Therapy
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Smart Insulin Patch
Microneedle-Array Patches Loaded with Hypoxia-Sensitive Vesicles Provide Fast Glucose-Responsive Insulin Delivery

Smart Insulin Patch
A painless microneedle array patch for glucose-responsive smart insulin delivery, enhancing health and qualify of life of people with diabetes. This is the first prototype for the closed-loop transdermal drug delivery. (PNAS, 2015; Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2020)
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Immunotherapeutic Gel
In situ formed sprayable/ injectable bioresponsive gels with immunotherapeutics, e.g., immune checkpoint inhibitor for local delivery, associated with primary tumor and post-surgical treatment. (Science Translational Medicine, 2018; Nature Nanotechnology, 2019)
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Artificial Beta Cells (AβCs)
Construction of synthetic artificial beta cells (AβCs) with a 'vesicles-in-vesicle' superstructure equipped with a membrane-fusion machinery for glucose-responsive insulin delivery. (Nature Chemical Biology, 2017)
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Platelets for Immunotherapy
Platelets loaded with immune checkpoint antibodies for surgical site targeting and in situ activation for inhibiting tumor recurrence and metastasis. This strategy can also be used for inhibiting recurrence of leukemia. (Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2017; Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2018)
read moreAbout Gu Research Group
Our iMedication Lab is interested in integrating biomaterials design, biomacromolecular engineering, and micro/nano-fabrication towards new drug delivery strategies, which apply stimuli-responsive systems for delivering and/or releasing therapeutics in dose-, spatial- and temporal-controlled manners. Our current focus is to leverage physiology for bioresponsive drug delivery through cellular carriers or biomimetic synthetic vehicles.
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As a TR35 Innovator, Dr. Zhen Gu was introducing "Smart Insulin Patch" during EmTech by MIT Technology Reviews, 2015
Latest news
Jun., 2020- Gu Lab is moving to Zhejiang University. Welcome to Hangzhou!
Feb., 2020- “Smart Insulin Patch 2.0" was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Mar., 2019- Dr. Gu was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).
Jan., 2019- Qian Chen’s sprayable immunotherapeutic gel was published in Nature Nanotechnology.
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