Rita Elena Serda

Contact


Phone: 505 277-0391

Physical Address

Room 3058
Centennial Engineering Building

Photo: true

Research Assistant Professor

Education

Ph.D. University of New Mexico, Biomedical Sciences

M.S. New Mexico State University, Chemistry

B.S. University of New Mexico, Psychology/Chemistry

Biography

Dr. Serda joined the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in June 2016 as a Research Assistant Professor, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Biochemistry. She holds concurrent faculty appointments at the Houston Methodist Research Institute (Associate Affiliate Member, Nanomedicine) and Swansea University (Honorary Professor, College of Science, UK). Her expertise is nanomedicine for immune modulation, nanoparticle trafficking, and imaging. She has leadership experience as the inaugural Director of the Methodist Academy, the inaugural Director of the Scanning and Atomic Force Microcopy Core and Co-Chair of the Department of Nanomedicine at Houston Methodist. She has patents on liposomal, protocell, porous silicon and silicified cell cancer vaccines, and on nanoparticle targeting to sites of inflammation. Dr. Serda’s expertise in electron microscopy is witnessed by presentation of her images on the cover of 13 journals, 4 images included in the NCI Nanotechnology Image Library with 2 on NCI Alliance for NanoHealth calendars (2012 and 2013), and winner of contests held by the NCI Cancer Close up Project (2016) and FEI (2013, 2016).

Professional Experience

  • 2004 - 2006 Instructor, Chemistry, Arts & Sciences Department, Central New Mexico Community College, NM
  • 2009 - 2010 Co-Director, University of Texas School of Medicine Scholarly Project Program, Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering, Houston, TX
  • 2010 - 2010 Assistant Professor, Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Medical School, Albuquerque, NM
  • 2010 - 2010 Faculty, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Medical School, Houston, TX
  • 2010 - 2012 Faculty Director, The Methodist Academy, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, TX
  • 2010 - 2013 Co-Chair, Assistant Member, Scientist, Department of Nanomedicine, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, TX
  • 2010 - 2013 Director, Scanning Electron Microscopy Core, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, TX
  • 2011 - 2011 Adjunct Professor, Technolόgico de Monterrey, Monterrey
  • 2012 - 2017 Honorary Professor, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea
  • 2014 - 2016 Tenure-Track Associate Professor, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
  • 2015 Associate Affiliate Professor, Houston Methodist Research Institute Houston, TX  
  • 2015  Director, Nanocharacterization Core, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
  • 2016 -Present Research Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of New Mexico, NM

Honors and Awards

  • 1991     Certificate of Merit, USDA, National Animal Disease Center
  • 1993     Technology Transfer Award for Outstanding Achievement in Technology Transfer, ARS
  • 1996     Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer, Federal Laboratory
  • 2003     New Mexico Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NM-AGEP) Fellowship, University of New Mexico
  • 2004     Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), Lilly Endowment, Inc. /New Mexico Alliance for Hispanic Education Scholar
  • 2005     Graduate Research and Development Award, Graduate and Professional Student Association, University of New Mexico
  • 2006     Edmund J & Thelma W Evans Charitable Trust Scholarship, University of New Mexico
  • 2008     FASEB Postdoctorate Professional Development and Enrichment Award, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH
  • 2010     BCRP Research Highlight in the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research program, Department of Defense
  • 2010     Idea Award Study Section, Department of Defense
  • 2011     Council of Chairs Member, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
  • 2013     SEM Image contest winner, FEI and National Geographic
  • 2014     Fondecyt Initiation into Research, Conicyt, Chile, GROW - Chile
  • 2014     CMDRP Breast Cancer Research Program Study Section, Department   of Defense
  • 2015     Institutional Policy Committee Member, Baylor College of Medicine
  • 2015     Omnibus Nanotechnology Study Section, NIH
  • 2015, 2016 Innovative Research in Cancer Nanotechnology (IRCN) (U01) Study Section, NIH
  • 2015, 2016 Center for Scientific Review Nanotechnology Study Section, NIH
  • 2016 NCI Special Emphasis Panel-Cooperative Agreement to Develop Targeted Agents for Use with Systemic Agents Plus Radiotherapy (U01) PAR-16-111, NIH
  • 2016 Winner of the NCI Cancer Close Up project image contest; with follow up coverage by the Washington Post, NCI
  • 2016  FEI Image Contest, Dual Beam, September and October winner
  • 2017 (Mar & Oct)  SBIB/DTCS Special Emphasis Panel-Image-Guided Drug Delivery, R01, PAR -16-044, NIH

Selected Publications

  • Pulikkathara M, Mark C, Kumar N, Zaske AM, Serda RE. Sucrose modulation of radiofrequency-induced heating and cell death. Conver Sci Phys Onc. 3, 035001, 2017.
  • Mackeyev Y, Mark C, Kumar N, Serda RE. The influence of cell and nanoparticle properties on heating and cell death in a radiofrequency field. Acta Biomater, 53:619-630, 2017, PMID 28179157.
  • McConnell KI, Shamsudeen S, Meraz IM, Mahadevan TS, Ziemys A, Rees P, Summers HD, Serda RE. Reduced cationic nanoparticle cytotoxicity based on serum masking of surface potential.  J Biomed Nanotech, 12(1): 154-164, 2016. 
  • Corr JA, Shamsudeen S, Vergara LA, Ho J, Ware MJ, Keshishian V, Yokoi K, Savage DJ, Meraz IM, Kaluarachchi W, Cosneros B, Raoof M, Nyugen T, Zhang Y, Wilson LJ, Summers H, Rees P, Curley SA, Serda RE. A new imaging platform for visualizing biological effects of non-invasive radiofrequency electric-field cancer hyperthermia. Plos One, August 26, 2015. PMID 26308617
  • Bai, L, Andersson HA, McConnell KI, Chan D, LaFrancesca S, Sakamoto J, Serda RE. Silencing of tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 in human lung microvascular endothelial cells using particle platforms for siRNA delivery. Current Drug Targets, 16 (13), 1531-9, 2015. PMID: 26201489
  • Meraz IM, Savage DJ, Segura-Ibarra V, Li J, Rhudy J, Gu J, Serda RE.  Adjuvant cationic liposomes presenting MPL and IL-12 induce cell death, suppress tumor growth, and alter the cellular phenotype of tumors in a murine model of breast cancer. Mol. Pharm. 11(10):3483-91, 2014.
  • McConnell KI, Rhudy J, Yokoi K, Gu J, Mack A, Suh J, La Francesca S, Sakamoto J, Serda RE. Enhanced gene delivery in porcine vasculature tissue following incorporation of adeno-associated virus nanoparticles into porous silicon microparticles. JCR, 194:113-21, 2014.
  • Meraz IM, Hearnden CH, Liu X, Yang M, Williams L, Savage DJ, Gu J, Rhudy JR, Yokoi K, Lavelle EC, Serda RE.  Multivalent presentation of MPL by porous silicon microparticles favors T helper one polarization enhancing the anti-tumor efficacy of doxorubicin nanoliposomes.  Plos One, 9(4):e94703, 2014.
  • Andersson HA, Kim Y-S, O’Neill BE, Shi Z-Z, Serda RE.  HSP70 promoter-driven activation of gene expression for immunotherapy using gold nanorods and near infrared light. Vaccines, 2:216-227, 2014.
  • Serda RE. Particle platforms for cancer immunotherapy. Int J Nanomed, 8:1683-1696, 2013.  PMID 23761969; PMCID:  PMC3674015.
  • Ferrati S, McConnell K, Mack AC, Sirisaengtaksn N, Diaz R, Bean AJ, Ferrari M, Serda RE. Cellular communication via nanoparticle-transporting biovesicles, Nanomedicine Fut Med, 9(5):581-92, 2013. PMID: 23731456.
  • Meraz IM, Melendez B, Gu J, Wong STC, Andersson HA, Serda RE.  Activation of the inflammasome and enhanced migration of microparticle-stimulated dendritic cells to the draining lymph node.  Mol Pharm, 9(7): 2049-6, 2012. PMID 22680980. PMCID: PMC3524399.
  • Ferrati S, Shamsudeen S, Summers H, Rees P, Abbey JVA, Schmulen J, Liu X, Wong STC, Bean AJ, Ferrari M, Serda RE.  Inter-endothelial transport of microvectors using cellular shuttles and tunneling nanotubes. Small, 8(20):3151-60, 2012. PMID 22930522