Darrell J. Irvine
- Professor of Materials Science and Engineering & Biological Engineering
- Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- B.S. Engineering Physics, University of Pittsburgh, 1995
- Ph.D. Polymer Science and Technology, MIT, 2000
- 76-261C
- djirvine@mit.edu
Bio; Biotechnology; Nanotechnology; Polymers

Research
The Irvine laboratory works at the interface of materials science and immunology. Synthetic materials can be applied in two major ways to 'immunobioengineering': (1) Synthetic materials can modulate the function of immune cells by mimicking signals derived from the immune system or foreign pathogens, both as a probe for cell function and as a tool for immunotherapy— both in vitro and in vivo; (2) Synthetic materials can be used to create in vitro and in vivo models of the microenvironment present in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues, to better understand immunobiology in health and disease. To meet these goals, engineering must be married to an in-depth appreciation for the biology of these problems. Their laboratory is thus deeply interdisciplinary in every project. Key to their approach is a balanced emphasis on both the engineering and immunological aspects of the problems the Irvine group has chosen to address: In each of these projects, state of the art chemistry, polymer science, physics and immunology are combined to address critical biological questions and medical challenges.
Recent News
Enhancing cancer immunotherapy with nanomedicine
February 14, 2020
Deshpande Center and J-WAFS announce fall 2017 research grants
October 17, 2017
Converging on cancer at the nanoscale
July 10, 2017
Fighting cancer with the power of immunity
October 26, 2016
Prof. Irvine to speak at US Frontiers of Engineering
July 29, 2016
Materializing the Future of Vaccines and Immunotherapy
January 25, 2016