Biography
Lonnie Shea received his PhD in chemical engineering and scientific computing from Michigan in 1997. He received his PhD in chemical engineering and scientific computing from U-M in 1997, working with Professor Jennifer Linderman. He then served as a postdoctoral fellow with then ChE Professor David Mooney in the Department of Biologic and Materials Science at the U-M Dental School.
Shea had been on the faculty of Northwestern University’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering from 1999 to 2014. In 2014, Shea moved to the University of Michigan as chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He is an internationally recognized researcher at the interface of regenerative medicine, drug and gene delivery, and immune engineering, whose focus is on both the local microenvironment and systemic responses for directing tissue growth or regeneration.
Areas of Interest
Within neuroscience, the Shea Lab works nerve regeneration for treating paralysis after spinal cord injury (SCI) and also autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis. A common feature for both disorders is neuro-inflammation. The Shea Lab has developed nanoparticles to reprogram immune responses that are associated with inflammation after SCI, or to train the immune system to be unresponsive to myelin-associated antigens. Additionally, we are employing biomaterials to support and guide axon growth, and also promoting re-myelination.
Published Articles or Reviews
- Park, J., Y. Zhang, E. Saito, S.J. Gurczynski, B.B. Moore, B.J. Cummings, A.J. Anderson, and L.D. Shea, Intravascular innate immune cells reprogrammed via intravenous nanoparticles to promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2019. 116(30): p. 14947-14954. PMCID: PMC6660718
- Dumont, C.M., M.A. Carlson, M.K. Munsell, A.J. Ciciriello, K. Strnadova, J. Park, B.J. Cummings, A.J. Anderson, and L.D. Shea, Aligned hydrogel tubes guide regeneration following spinal cord injury. Acta Biomater, 2019. 86: p. 312-322. PMCID: PMC6369008
- Smith, D.R., D.J. Margul, C.M. Dumont, M.A. Carlson, M.K. Munsell, M. Johnson, B.J. Cummings, A.J. Anderson, and L.D. Shea, Combinatorial lentiviral gene delivery of pro-oligodendrogenic factors for improving myelination of regenerating axons after spinal cord injury. Biotechnol Bioeng, 2019. 116(1): p. 155-167. PMCID: PMC6289889
- Morris, A.H., K.R. Hughes, R.S. Oakes, M.M. Cai, S.D. Miller, D.N. Irani, and L.D. Shea, Engineered immunological niches to monitor disease activity and treatment efficacy in relapsing multiple sclerosis. Nat Commun, 2020. 11(1): p. 3871. PMCID: PMC7398910
- Liam M Casey, Kevin R Hughes, Michael N Saunders, Stephen D Miller, Ryan M Pearson, Lonnie D Shea, Mechanistic contributions of Kupffer cells and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells in nanoparticle-induced antigen-specific immune tolerance. Biomaterials 2022
- Apr;283:121457. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121457. Epub 2022 Mar 10.