- Polyvalency and Biotherapeutics
- Nanobiotechnology
- Optogenetics
Professor Kane’s group conducts research at the interface of biotechnology and nanotechnology. The group is designing nanoscale polyvalent therapeutics and working on the molecular engineering of biosurfaces and nanostructures.
A major focus of the group’s research involves the design of polyvalent ligands, i.e., nanoscale scaffolds presenting multiple copies of selected biomolecules. The Kane group has made seminal contributions to a fundamental understanding of polyvalent recognition and has designed polyvalent inhibitors that are effective in vivo. Currently, the group is designing polyvalent molecules that control stem cell fate as well as polyvalent inhibitors of pathogens such as HIV and influenza. The group is also designing nanoscale scaffolds for antigen presentation as part of novel strategies for designing vaccines. The approach could lead to the development of “universal” influenza vaccines as well as effective vaccines targeting RSV and malaria. Other interests of the group involve optogenetics – the development and application of methods that use light to control cell function – as well as the design of enzymes and nanocomposites that target antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
Dr. Kane is the Garry Betty/ V Foundation Chair and GRA Eminent Scholar in Cancer Nanotechnology.
Professor Kane's teaching interests encompass core chemical engineering topics such as transport phenomena and chemical process principles, as well as topics such as interfacial and biomolecular engineering, where he integrates research insights to enhance student comprehension and engagement.. His instruction aims to provide students with a rigorous understanding of fundamental principles and their practical application in engineering problems.
B.S. 1993, Stanford University
M.S. 1995, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ph.D. 1998, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Halfmann, P.J.; Patel, R. S.; Loeffler, K.; Yasuhara, A.; Van De Velde L-A.; Yang, J. E.; Chervin, J.; Troxell, C.; Huang, M.; Zheng, N.; Wright, E. R.; Thomas, P.G.; Wilson, P.C.; Kawaoka, Y.; Kane R.S. “Multivalent S2 subunit vaccines provide broad protection against Clade 1 sarbecoviruses”, Nature Communications, 2025, 16, 462.
Biswas, A.; Loeffler, K.; Kim, D.; Eisfeld, A. J.; Duffy, A.; Hammond, H.; Sangappa, A.; Abozeid, H. H.; Neumann, G.; Moreno, A.; Kawaoka, Y.; Kane R.S. “Inverted H1 hemagglutinin nanoparticle vaccines protect mice against challenges with human H1N1 and bovine H5N1 influenza viruses”, npj Vaccines, 2025, 10, 225.
Halfmann, P.J.; Loeffler, K.; Duffy, A.; Kuroda, M.; Yang, J. E.; Wright, E. R.; Kawaoka, Y.; Kane R.S. “Broad Protection Against Clade 1 Sarbecoviruses After a Single Immunization with Cocktail Spike-Protein-Nanoparticle Vaccine”, Nature Communications, 2024, 15, 1, 12844.
McArthur, N.; Kang, B.; Moctezuma, F. G. R.; Shaikh, A. T.; Loeffler, K.; Bhatt, N. N.; Kidd, M.; Zupancic, J. M.; Desai, A. A.; Djeddar, N.; Bryskin, A.; Tessier, P. M.; Kayed, R.; Wood, L. B.; Kane R.S. “Development of a Pan-Tau Multivalent Nanobody that Binds Tau Aggregation Motifs and Recognizes Pathological Tau Aggregates”, Biotechnology Progress, 2024, e3463.
Frey, S.J.; Carreño, J. M.; Bielak, D.; Arsiwala, A.; Altomare, C. G.; Varner, C.; Rosen-Cheiryan, T.; Bajic, G.; Krammer, F.; Kane R.S. “Nanovaccines Displaying the Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin in an Inverted Orientation Elicit an Enhanced Stalk-Directed Antibody Response”, Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2023, 12, 13, 2202729.