Research

My research is highly interdisciplinary, spanning chemistry, materials science, engineering, drug discovery, drug formulation, biology, nanotechnology and environmental science. I work to develop more equitable, inclusive, and accessible solutions across human health, the environment, and education.

2026

Structure–Property–Performance Engineering of Hydrogel Depots for Long-Acting Peptide Delivery

Dong, C.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Sen, S.; Alakesh, A.; Jons, C.K.; Eckman, N.; Williams, C.M.; Nguyen, L.T.; Yan, J.; Saouaf, O.M.; Song, Y.E.; Hall, I.A.; Lu, K.; Manna, M.K.; Kapasi, S.; Kottamasu, S.A.; Wilhelm, T.; Doulames, V.; Klich, J.H.; Reineking, W.; Appel, E.A.

BioRXiv Preprint, 2026

Long-acting hydrogel-based depot formulations of tirzepatide and semaglutide for the management of type 2 diabetes and weight

d’Aquino, A. I.; Dong, C.; Nguyen, L. T.; Yan, J.; Jons, C. K.; Saouaf, O. M.; Song, Y. E.; Eckman, N.; Kapasi, S.; Williams, C. M.; Doulames, V.; Sen, S.; Manna, M. K.; Alakesh, A.; Lu, K.; Hall, I.; Appel, E. A.

Advanced Therapeutics, 2026

2025

Hydrogel formulations for sustained-release of broadly neutralizing antibodies

Jons, C. K.; Kasse, C. M.; Mayer, B. T.; Hyrien, O.; Sen, S., Meany, E. L.; d'Aquino, A. I.; Ganesh, P.; Eckman, N.; Dong, C.; Yan, J.; Nguyen, L. T.; Doulames, V. M.; Song, Y. E.; Saouaf, O. M.; Williams, C. M.; Williams, S. C.; Paredes, J.; Raghavan, R.; Palomares, M.; Appel, E. A.

Journal of Controlled Release, 2025

2024

Water-Enhancing Gels Exhibiting Heat-Activated Formation of Silica Aerogels for Protection of Critical Infrastructure During Catastrophic Wildfire

Dong, C.; d'Aquino, A. I.; Sen, S.; Hall, I. A.; Yu, A. C.; Crane, G. B.; Acosta, J. D.; Appel, E. A.

Advanced Materials, 2024

Biomimetic Non-Ergodic Aging by Dynamic-To-Covalent Transitions in Physical Hydrogels

Sen, S.; Dong, C.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Yu, A.C.; Appel, E.A.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2024

2023

Use of a biomimetic hydrogel depot technology for sustained delivery of GLP-1 receptor agonists reduces burden of diabetes management

d’Aquino, A. I.; Maikawa, C. L.; Nguyen, L. T.; Lu. K.; Hall, I. A.; Jons, C. K.; Kasse, C. M.; Yan, J.; Prossnitz, A. N.; Chang, E.; Baker, S. W.; Hovgaard, L.; Steensgaard, D. B.; Andersen, H. B.; Simonsen, L.; Appel, E. A.

Cell Reports Medicine, 2023

Polyacrylamide-based hydrogel coatings improve biocompatibility of implanted pump devices

Chan, D.; Maikawa, C. L.; d’Aquino, A. I.; Raghavan, S. S.; Troxell, M. L.; Appel, E. A.

J. Biomed. Mater. Res. Part A., 2023

Injectable Hydrogels for Immune Modulation

Saouaf, O.M.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Grosskopf, A.K; Appel, E.A.

Biomedical Nanotechnology: Methods and Protocols, 2023

2022

Delivery of CAR-T cells in a transient injectable stimulatory hydrogel niche improves treatment of solid tumors

Grosskopf, A.K.; Labanieh, L.; Klysz, D.D.; Roth, G.A.; Xu, P.; Adebowale, O.; Gale, E.C.; Jons, C.K.; Klich, J.H.; Yan, J.; Maikawa, C.L.; Correa, S.; Ou, B.S.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Cochran, J.R.; Chaudhuri, O.; Mackall, C.L.*; Appel, E.A.

Science Advances, 2022

Injectable Polymer-Nanoparticle Hydrogel for the Sustained Intravitreal Delivery of Bimatoprost

Meany, E.L.^; Andaya, R.^; Tang, S.; Kasse, C.M.; Fuji, R.N.; Grosskopf, A.K.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Bartoe, J.T.; Ybarra, R.; Shelton, A.; Pederson, Z.; Hu, C.; Leung, D.; Nagapudi, K.; Ubhayakar, S.; Yen, C.W.*; Appel, E.A.

Advanced Therapeutics, 2022

Stable High-Concentration Monoclonal Antibody Formulations Enabled by an Amphiphilic Copolymer Excipient

Klich, J.H.^; Kasse, C.M.^; Mann, J.L.; Huang, Y.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Grosskopf, A.K.; Baillet, J.; Fuller, G.G.; Appel, E.A.*

Advanced Therapeutics, 2022

Structurally dynamic crystalline 1D coordination polymers enabled via the Weak-Link Approach

Coleman, B. D.; d'Aquino, A. I.; Kean, Z.; Wang, Y.; Hedlund Orbeck, J. K.; Stern, C. L.; Mirkin, C. A.

Polyhedron, 2022

2021

Hydrogel-Based Slow Release of a Receptor-Binding Domain Subunit Vaccine Elicits Neutralizing Antibody Responses Against SARS-CoV-2

Gale, E.C.; Powell, A.E.; Roth, G.A.; Ou, B.S.; Meany, E.L.; Grosskopf, A.K.; Adamska, J.; Picece, V.C.T.M.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Pulendran, B.; Kim, P.S.; Appel, E.A.

Advanced Materials, 2021

Engineering biopharmaceutical formulations to improve diabetes management

Maikawa, C.L.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Lal, R.A.; Buckingham, B.A.; Appel, E.A.

Science Translational Medicine, 2021

Ultra-Fast Insulin–Pramlintide Co-Formulation for Improved Glucose Management in Diabetic Rats

Maikawa, C.L.; Chen, P.C.; Vuong, E.T.; Nguyen, L.T.; Mann, J.L.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Lal, R.A.; Maahs, D.M.; Buckingham, B.A.; Appel, E.A.

Advanced Science, 2021

Affinity-Directed Dynamics of Host–Guest Motifs for Pharmacokinetic Modulation via Supramolecular PEGylation

Maikawa, C.L.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Vuong, E.T.; Su, B.; Zou, L.; Chen, P.C.; Nguyen, L.T.; Autzen, A.A.A.; Mann, J.L.; Webber, M.J.*; Appel, E.A.

Biomacromolecules, 2021

Multi-State Dynamic Coordination Complexes Interconverted through Counterion-Controlled Phase Transfer

Cheng, H. F.; Paul, M. K.; d’Aquino, A. I.; Stern, C. L.; Mirkin, C. A.

Inorganic chemistry, 2021

2019

Effect of Particle Size on the Deep HDS Properties of Ni2P Catalysts

Topalian, P. J.; Liyanage, D. R.; Danforth, S. J.; d’Aquino, A. I.; Brock, S. L.; Bussell, M. E.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2019

2018

2017

Reversible and selective encapsulation of dextromethorphan and β-estradiol using an asymmetric molecular capsule assembled via the weak-link approach

Mendez-Arroyo, J.; d’Aquino, A.I.; Chinen, A.B.; Manraj, Y.D.; Mirkin, C.A.

Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2017

Highly-active nickel phosphide hydrotreating catalysts prepared in situ using nickel hypophosphite precursors (Journal of Catalysis, 2016)

Palladium (II) weak-link approach complexes bearing hemilabile N-heterocyclic carbene–thioether ligands (Inorganic Chemistry, 2017)

A concerted two-prong approach to the in situ allosteric regulation of bifunctional catalysis (Chemical Science, 2016)

Infinite coordination polymer particles composed of stimuli-responsive coordination complex subunits (Chemistry of Materials, 2017)

Agent Orange and Narratives of Suffering (WWU Occam’s Razor, 2012)