Dr. Senta Kapnick

Associate Research Scientist at the University of Maryland

Jointly-appointed Research Biologist at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Seminar:  Seminar:  “Harnessing Biomaterials to Study Immune Function: A Path Outside the Traditional Faculty Track”

• The immune system integrates signals to determine whether to promote inflammation, maintain tolerance, or restore homeostasis. Our work explores biomaterial strategies to deliver immunoregulatory cues to program these immune responses. One approach uses polymer depots to deliver antigen and regulatory signals directly to lymph nodes, guiding T cell differentiation and promoting antigen-specific tolerance in models of autoimmune disease while preserving normal immune responses. In parallel, we are developing strategies to deliver metabolic intermediates that regulate inflammatory signaling in diverse settings. Together, these studies highlight how controlling what cues immune cells receive - antigenic or metabolic - and where they receive them, can provide new opportunities to precisely tune responses in autoimmunity and inflammation. This work, led in part by research scientists, highlights the critical role of career scientists in driving multidisciplinary discovery to advance new ideas and technologies in the broader academic landscape.

• Dr. Senta Kapnick is an Associate Researcher at the University of Maryland and a jointly appointed Research Biologist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Her research focuses on applying immunology and immunometabolism to engineer biomaterials for the treatment of autoimmune disorders. She currently leads a VA-funded project and has published in journals such as PNAS, Molecular Therapy, and Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. Dr. Kapnick has held prior roles at the FDA, the Texas Department of State Health Services, and as adjunct faculty at Hood College and the University of Maryland. She completed her Ph.D. through the Johns Hopkins University/NIH Graduate Partnerships Program and later conducted postdoctoral research at the NIH. In addition to her research, she is deeply committed to teaching and mentoring.

  In addition to her scientific contributions, Dr. Kapnick is a dedicated teacher and mentor in both laboratory and classroom settings.