Olivia Lanier

Dr. Olivia Lanier leads the Nanomedicine Toward Health Equity Lab. Dr. Lanier’s research focuses on developing innovative nanomedicine solutions to address health disparities, particularly in women’s health and cancer treatment. Her lab emphasizes personalized, accessible therapies tailored to underrepresented populations by considering patient-specific factors like sex, age, ancestry, and environment. Dr. Lanier received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Ohio University and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Florida, where she focused on the magnetically triggered delivery of placental proteins for wound healing. She completed her postdoctoral training as a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Colorado School of Mines (2019-2021) and then as a Provost Early Career Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Nicholas Peppas at the University of Texas at Austin (2021-2024), where she spearheaded research on the oral delivery of siRNA for inflammatory bowel disease and oral insulin delivery for diabetes. Her groundbreaking work integrates health equity principles into drug delivery systems, aiming to make advanced therapeutics more accessible globally.

Laboratory Environment: As the leader of the Nanomedicine Toward Health Equity Lab, I am deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of engineers, particularly those focused on advancing healthcare in women’s health. In our lab, we cultivate a culture rooted in respect, openness, and shared success. I encourage every team member to contribute their unique perspectives and expertise, believing that diversity is a key driver of innovation. We are dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and supporting scholars from underrepresented groups in STEM. My students have access to a wealth of scientific, intellectual, and professional development resources at The University of New Mexico, and I ensure their career goals and needs are supported through individualized development plans.

Selected Publications:

• Lanier OL, D’Andrea A, Shodeinde A, Peppas NA (2023). siRNA Delivery from Cationic Nanogels Prepared by Diffusion-assisted Loading in the Presence and Absence of Electrostatic Interactions, J of Applied Polymer Science, e55029.
• Coolich-Kanzelberger M, Lanier OL, Cisneros E, Peppas NA (2023). PEGylated Insulin Loaded Complexation Hydrogels for Protected Oral Delivery, Journal of Controlled Release, 364: 216-226.
• Pérez-Herrero E, Lanier OL, Krishnan N, D’Andrea A, Peppas NA (2023). Drug Delivery Approaches for Cancer Immunotherapy, Drug Delivery and Translational Research, 1-32.
• Lanier OL*, Green M*, Barabino G, Cosgriff-Hernandez E. (2022). Ten Simple Rules in Biomedical Engineering to Improve Healthcare Equity, PLOS Computational Biology, 18(10), e1010525.
• Lanier OL, Manfre M, Kulkarni S, Bailey C, Chauhan A (2021). Combining Modeling of Drug Uptake and Release of Cyclosporine in Contact Lenses to Determine Partition Coefficient and Diffusivity, European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 164: 105891.
• Lanier OL, Ficarrotta J, Adjei I, Wable D, Lewis C, Nacea C, Sharma B, Dobson, McFetrdige, PS (2020). Magnetically Responsive Polymeric Microparticles for the Triggered Delivery of a Complex Mixture of Human Placental Proteins. Macromolecular Biosciences, 20(1): 2000249
• Lanier OL, Korotych OI, Monsalve AG, Wable D, Savliwala S, Grooms NWF, Nacea C, Tuitt OR, Dobson J. (2019). Evaluation of Magnetic Nanoparticles for Magnetic Fluid Hyperthermia. Int J of Hyperthermia, 36(1): 687-701.