Evan Scott

Related websites: 

https://engineering.virginia.edu/faculty/evan-scott

https://engineering.virginia.edu/labs-groups/scott-research-groupEducation

B.S. Brown University, 2002

Ph.D. Washington University in St. Louis, 2009

Postdoctoral Fellow, (EPFL), 2009-2013

Immunoengineering: Achieving Targeted, Rational, and Therapeutic Modulation of the Immune System

The Scott lab applies principles of biomaterials science, tissue engineering, bioinspired materials, and nanotechnology towards translational immunotherapies for cancer, allergy, infectious disease, and autoimmunity. We employ polymeric nanoparticles to deliver life-saving drugs to diseased tissue while sparing healthy tissue from toxicity. Our goal is to modulate the immune system in a controlled manner to address some of the biggest challenges in human health.

Recent Publications

Ochoa SL, Li HL, Kim H, Yan Z, Mendonca NC, Liu P, Lee HJ, Vincent MP, Zhang HF, Gong H, Scott EA*, Johnson M*, Thomson BR*. PROX1 loss in adult mouse Schlemm's canal causes permanent ocular hypertension. JCI Insight. 2026.11(12):e203711. DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.203711.

Du F, Yuk S, Qian Y, Vincent M, Bobbala S, Abbott T, Kim H, Li Y, Li H, Yi S, Qiao B, Scott EA. A Biomimetic Multi-Component Subunit Vaccine via Ratiometric Loading of Hierarchical Hydrogels. Nat. Commun. 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60416-x.

Zelenetz SR, Park H, Qiang W, Lin G, Almunif S, Sharma SH, Scariot DB, Lu J, Reichert RW, Zhang B, Scott EA. Pinocytosis inhibitory nanoparticles enhance aPD-1 antibody delivery and efficacy while avoiding toxicity in the treatment of solid tumors. Nanoscale Horiz. 2025; DOI: 10.1039/D5NH00206K.

Staneviciute A, B. Scariot D, Liu YG, Qian Y, Sharma S, Mbaye EHA, Almunif S, Engman DM, Scott EA. Dual Treatment of Chronic Chagasic Cardiomyopathy and Parasitic Burden via Combination Nanotherapy. ACS Nano. 2025 Apr 25; DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c00669.

Du F, Rische S, Li Y, Vincent M, Krier-Burris R, Qian Y, Yuk S, Almunif S, Bochner B, Qiao B, Scott EA. Bioactive multi-protein adsorption enables targeted mast cell nanotherapy. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41565-023-01584-z.

Burke JA, Zhang X, Bobbala S, Frey MA, Furentes CB, Haddad HF, Allen SD, Richardson R, Ameer GA, Scott EA. Subcutaneous nanotherapy repurposes the immunosuppressive mechanism of rapamycin to enhance allogeneic islet graft viability.2022. Nat Nanotechnol. Epub 20220117. DOI: 10.1038/s41565-021-01048-2. PubMed PMID: 35039683.

Vincent M, Bobbala S, Karabin NB, Frey M, Liu Y, Navidzadeh JO, Stack T, Scott EA. Surface chemistry-mediated modulation of adsorbed albumin folding state specifies nanocarrier clearance by distinct macrophage subsets. Nat. Commun. 12, 648. 2021. DOI:10.1038/s41467-020-20886-7.

Du F, Qiao B, Nguyen TD, Vincent M, Bobbala S, Yi S, Lescott C, Dravid VP, Olvera de la Cruz O, Scott EA. Homopolymer self-assembly of poly(propylene sulfone) hydrogels via dynamic noncovalent sulfone-sulfone bonding. Nat. Commun. 2020. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18657-5

Awards and Honors

Fulbright Specialist

Chair, NIH Atherosclerosis and Vascular Inflammation Study Section (AVI)

Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Mid-Career Award

Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) 

BMES Young Innovator of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering

Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Rising Star Awardee

NIH Director’s New Innovator Award 

National Science Foundation CAREER Award