María M. Coronel, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
mcoronel@umich.eduDr. Coronel is a Biological scholar and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Her lab is centered on engineering biomaterials for perturbing and investigating immunological responses. Dr. Coronel received her BS degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Miami, and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Florida. She also obtained a certificate in Clinical Translational Research from Emory University Public Health School. She finished her postdoctoral fellowship at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she received funding from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, NIH T31, and Georgia CTSA to support her training. CV.
Graduate Students
John-Paul Pham
Cellular Biotechnology Training Program (CBTP) T32 Trainee
jppham@umich.eduJohn-Paul Pham is a 3rd year Biomedical Engineering PhD student from Menifee, CA. He completed his undergraduate degree in Bioengineering (Biotechnology) at the University of California San Diego, where he worked under Dr. Shengqiang Cai and Dr. Karen Christman. In Cai Lab, he developed and mechanically characterized composite biomaterials for bone grafting applications. His work in Christman Lab entailed in-vivo validation of a cardiac infarct-homing protein-like polymer (PLP) nanoparticle and investigating regenerative decellularized myocardial matrix hydrogels using single-cell transcriptomics.
At Coronel Lab, John-Paul is engineering microfluidics-based platforms for making polymeric nanoparticles that can be functionalized with immunomodulatory ligands. His work would enable minimally invasive, targeted strategies for inducing tolerance of allogeneic organ transplants. John-Paul is also a current trainee of UM’s Cellular Biotechnology Training Program, a NIH T32 training grant. When he’s not looking for the stepstool in lab, John-Paul enjoys hiking, blasting music through his earbuds so other lab members have to throw things at him to get his attention, and yes, graphic design is his passion. If he was an immune cell, he would be a neutrophil because he gets into lab early, accidentally breaks things, and leaves the crime scene for adaptive immunity (Dr. Coronel) to fix later.
Nicole Racca
UM BME Derek Tat Award Recipient
nmracca@umich.eduNicole M. Racca is a 3rd year Biomedical Engineering PhD student originally from Warwick, Rhode Island. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute where she worked in Dr. George Pins’s laboratory. Her undergraduate research was focused on developing a novel technique to make micropatterned fibrin scaffolding for volumetric muscle loss repair. She was a participant in the NSF Bioactive Interfaces and Devices REU at the University of Kentucky in the summer of 2021 working of biotin/streptavidin micropatterning of surfaces for cellular adherence.
Nicole’s work in the Coronel Lab focuses on developing a dynamic polymeric linker that can be functionalized with immunomodulatory ligands to be attached and delivered via a micron-sized polymeric particle (microgel) platform. Her work would enable the use of a minimally invasive strategy for locally inducing tolerance in allogeneic islet transplants. When she is not zoned in using the biosafety cabinet, you can often find Nicole out at a concert in Detroit, playing card games with friends, doing puzzles to destress, or at her favorite happy hour at Maiz in Ypsilanti. If she was an immune cell, Nicole would be a T helper cell because she often finds herself being a helping hand both in lab and in her daily life.
Kayle Riley
UM Rackham Merit Fellow
kayleril@umich.eduKayle Riley is a 3rd year Biomedical Engineering PhD student from Kansas City, MO. Interestingly, Kayle has never lived in Missouri despite being born there and instead has lived half of her life in Indiana and the other half in Michigan. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at a tiny college known as Trine University in Angola, IN (Kayle’s cohort of graduating BME students was a total of 18 people). After graduation, Kayle participated in an NIH funded Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at the University of Cincinnati, where she got to work with Dr. Jim Wells. During her time there she learned to culture iPSCs and even took the time to learn how to reprogram PBMCs into iPSCs. She spent a great deal of time differentiating human intestinal organoids and insulin producing beta-like cells to use for her experiments.
Kayle’s work in the Coronel Lab focuses on developing a semi-synthetic mucin-based MAP gel functionalized with bioluminescent cytokine probes as a monitoring tool for graft rejections. Her work would enable stem-cell-derived beta cell grafts to be monitored via a minimally invasive approach. When Kayle isn’t reorganizing the lab in her free time, she likes to watch K-dramas and be a couch potato. If she is feeling adventurous, she likes to hang out with friends, go to Maiz with Nicole, and go to raves because EDM music is life (except for techno). If Kayle was an immune cell, she would be a plasma B cell because she is always the last to arrive in lab.
Jean-Pierre Pierantoni
GEM Fellow
jppieran@umich.eduJean-Pierre Pierantoni is a 2nd year Biomedical Engineering PhD student originally from Tampa, FL. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida where he worked in Dr. Benjamin Keselowsky’s lab. His undergraduate research project focused on developing a novel glycosylated synthetic protein for modulating immune cell responses in the liver. He was a participant in the NSF SURE REU program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the summer of 2022. As a GEM fellowship recipient, he completed an internship at Genentech Inc. in South San Francisco, CA during the summer of 2023.
Jean-Pierre’s work in the Coronel Lab focuses on developing microporous annealed particle hydrogels with tethered vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to improve islet transplant outcomes. By creating this platform, we are able to enhance engraftment efficiency, while also leveraging the novel immunomodulatory properties of VEGF to mitigate adverse immune responses. In his free time, Jean-Pierre enjoys cooking, playing soccer, going to new places, and also attending concerts. If he was an immune cell, he would be a Memory B Cell because he enjoys learning new knowledge and helping others remember things if they forget.
Lab Staff & Undergraduate Students
Diana Bernal
Lab Manager
dbernalc@umich.eduCurrent Project: As a new staff member, my goal is to learn a lot and become proficient in the new skills that I learn. I want to be able to be a resource and help where I'm needed.
Hobbies: Making pastries, dancing, investing/trading.
If I were an immune cell, I’d be a: Helper T Cell because my friends know they can count on me. I am caring, trustworthy, dependable, and I'm a great motivator.
Jaselyn Porter
Undergraduate Student (Sophomore)
jaselynp@umich.eduLab Mentor: Kayle
Current Project: Helping fabricate mucin MAP gels for use in an implantable biosensor for early detection of transplant rejection.
Hobbies: In my free time, I enjoy traveling, reading, working out, and singing.
If I were an immune cell, I’d be a: Dendritic cell because I love to learn new information about the world (by traveling and reading) and share what I learn with others, similar to how a dendritic cell samples and learns about their environment and presents samples to T-cells.
Kasimir Borgol
Undergraduate Student (Junior)
borgol@umich.eduLab Mentor: Nicole
Current Project: Fabricating microgels and MAP gels functionalized with Nicole’s custom dynamic protein-presenting linkers.
Hobbies: In my free time, I love writing short stories, baking, and jamming out at basement shows.
If I were an immune cell, I’d be a: Macrophage because I spend long periods of time in lab and love cleaning up spaces (especially when I have other things to do).
Layla Summers
Undergraduate Student (Senior)
lmsumm@umich.eduLab Mentor: John-Paul
Current Project: Making oxygen-responsive dye-encapsulating nanoparticles to track T-cell activity via metabolic activity-driven oxygen consumption.
Hobbies: Kayaking, crochet, and embroidery.
If I were an immune cell, I’d be a: Lymphocyte because I remember everything!
Allison Nold
Undergraduate Student (Senior)
nolda@umich.eduLab Mentor: John-Paul
Current Project: Making oxygen-responsive dye-encapsulating nanoparticles to track T-cell activity via metabolic activity-driven oxygen consumption.
Hobbies: In my free time, I enjoy singing and crocheting.
If I were an immune cell, I’d be a: Cytotoxic T cell, because I am very protective of the people and things that I care about!
Emily Dobao
Undergraduate Student (Junior)
edobao@umich.eduLab Mentor: Jean-Pierre
Current Project: Developing microparticles and microgels for in vivo testing to evaluate their impact on enhancing vascularization and improving outcomes in islet transplantation for diabetes treatment; optimizing micron-resolution 3D printing for custom microfluidic molds
Hobbies: In my free time, I like to experiment with different art mediums, such as drawing, sculpting, or painting. I also enjoy going for rides on my longboard and practicing taekwondo with the UMTKD club on campus.
If I were an immune cell, I’d be a: Eosinophil, because I'm not afraid to take on any odd and unexpected challenges.
Nandita Boddu
Undergraduate Student (Sophomore)
nboddu@umich.eduLab Mentor: Kayle
Current Project: Helping fabricate mucin MAP gels for use in an implantable biosensor for early detection of transplant rejection.
Hobbies: In my free time, I enjoy trying new foods and traveling.
If I were an immune cell, I’d be a: Macrophage become I love to stay organized and clean up!
Jinhua (Davina) Sun
Undergraduate Student (Junior)
davinas@umich.eduLab Mentor: Nicole
Current Project: Fabricating microgels and MAP gels functionalized with Nicole’s custom dynamic protein-presenting linkers; coding a custom analysis script for characterizing the mechanical and kinetic properties of Nicole’s linkers.
Hobbies: In my free time, I enjoy travelling to different places all around the world, meeting new people, eating delicious food and watching movies.
If I were an immune cell, I’d be a: B cell, since I’m always soaking up new information and honing my skills. I’m quietly building up my “antibody” expertise, ready to tackle whatever project challenges come my way.
Former Lab Members & Visiting Students
Robert (Rory) Heizelman
Alexander Dontu
Annie Li
Yash Sakhalkar
Eden Merritt