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College of Science and Engineering Chemistry & Biochemistry
Texas State College of Science and Engineering Chemistry & Biochemistry About the Department Faculty Profiles Dr. Tania Betancourt

Dr. Tania Betancourt

Associate Professor

Office: CENT 340E

Office phone: (512) 245-7703

Email: tb26@txstate.edu

Lab: CENT 343

Lab Phone: (512) 245-1412

Fax: (512) 245-2374

Educational Background

  • B.S. Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) 2002

  • M.S. Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX) 2005

  • Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX) 2007

  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX) 2008

Honors and Awards

  • Research Corporation for Science Advancement Cottrell College Single Investigator Award, 2012

  • Recipient, David and Mary Miller Fellowship University of Texas at Austin, 2006-2007

  • Recipient, NSF IGERT Graduate Research Fellowship, University of Texas, 2004-2006

  • Recipient, Thrust 2000 Fellowship, College of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 2003-2007

  • Magna Cum Laude honor graduation in Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2002

  • Recipient, Lindsay Scholarship, Texas A&M University, 2001-2002

  • Recipient, American Chemical Society Scholars Program Scholarship, 1999-2002

  • Member, Omega Chi Epsilon Chemical Engineering Honor Society

  • Member, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society

  • Member, Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two Year College

Areas of Interest

  • Polymeric Biomaterials

  • Nanomedicine

  • Drug Delivery Systems

  • Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels

  • Nucleic Acid Enabled Biomaterials

Related Web Sites

Betancourt Research Group Webpage

Research in the Betancourt Group

Research in the Biomaterials and Nanomedicine Laboratory focuses on capturing the promise of nanomaterials for the development of new strategies for the detection and treatment of diseases. Specifically, our group develops functional nanostructures that can act as highly specific contrast agents for bioimaging, in vitro and in vivo biosensors, targeted and intracellular drug delivery systems, and stimuli controlled delivery systems. These responsive nanomaterials incorporate functional nucleic acid linkers, enzymatically cleavable linkers, polyelectrolytes, and amphiphilic copolymers to mediate physico-chemical changes in the polymeric networks upon interaction with target molecules, leading to the desired material response. Work in the laboratory encompasses the synthesis and characterization of copolymers and nanoparticles, in vitro confirmation of stimuli-responsive behavior, and the evaluation of the particle functionality on cultured human cells. Dr. Betancourt’s group collaborates with academic and industrial researchers for preclinical evaluation of the compatibility and efficacy of the developed biomaterials and technology transfer.
 
Current projects in Dr. Betancourt’s laboratory include the development of: (1) aptamer-based responsive nanostructures that can be activated by disease-specific molecules, and on the study of the applications of these functional materials in targeted drug delivery, bioimaging, and biomolecular sensing; (2) highly specific nanoparticle-based near infrared contrast agents and drug delivery systems for optical detection and treatment of cancer; (3) photoablation agents and biosensors based on conductive polymers.
 
 As researchers in our laboratory, students will be involved in the:
  • Design of novel biomaterials that have specific properties at the molecular level to mediate their interaction with tissues, cells, and biomolecules.
  • Synthesis of linear and branched biocompatible copolymers by polymerization and conjugation techniques and characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
  • Preparation of nanostructures and characterization via dynamic light scattering, scanning and electron microscopy, and absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy.
  • Functionalization of nanostructures with fluorescent molecules, targeting agents, or shielding molecules to improve their bioactivity.
  • In vitro confirmation of the function of the nanstructures by investigating their behavior as a function of pH, enzymatic activity, ligand concentration, temperature, or external triggers.
  • Evaluation of the nanostructure potential for biomedical purposes by studying the compatibility (nontoxicity) and interaction of these structures with cultured cell models of disease through biochemical assays, and optical/fluorescence microscopy.

Recent Publications

Dasari, R.; Blauz, A.; Medellin, D.; Kassim, R.; Viera, C.; Santarosa, M.; Van der Westhuyzen, A.; van Otterlo, W.; Olivas, T.; Yildiz, T.; Betancourt, T.; Shuster, C.B.; Rogelj, S.; Rychlik, B.; Hudnall, T.; Frolova, L.; Kornienko, A. Microtubule-targeting         7-deazahypoxanthines derived from marine alkaloid rigidins: Exploration of the N3 and N9 positions and interaction with multi-drug resistance proteins. Chem. Med. Chem., 2018, Article ASAP. Link


Wang, K.W.; Betancourt, T.; Hall, C. K. Computational study of DNA-cross-linked hydrogel formation for drug delivery applications. Macromolecules. 2018, 51, 9758-9768. Link

Yildiz, T.; Gu, R.; Zauscher, S.; Betancourt, T. Doxorubicin-loaded protease-activated near-infrared fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles for imaging and therapy of cancer. Int. J. Nanomed. 2018, 13, 6961-6986. Link

Wang, K.W.; Barker, K.; Benner, S.; Betancourt, T.; Hall, C. Development of a simple coarse-grained model for analysis of oligonucleoutide complex formation. Molecular Simulations. 2018, 4, 1004-1015. Link

Rodriguez Amaya, L.; Betancourt, T.; Henry Collins, K.; Hinojosa, O.; Corona, C. Undergraduate research experiences: mentoring, awareness, and perceptions – a case study at a Hispanic-serving institution. Int. J. STEM. Ed. 2018, 5, 9. Link

Rastogi, S.K.; Anderson, H.E.; Lamas, J.; Barret, S.; Cantu, T.; Zauscher, S.; Brittain, W.J.; Betancourt, T. Enhanced Release of Molecules upon UV Light Irradiation from Photoresponsive Hydrogels Prepared from Bifunctional Azobenzene and Four-Arm Poly(ethylene glycol). ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 2018,10,30071-30080. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b16183. Link

Jamkhindikar, S. P.; Stretz, H. A.; Massingill, J. Jr.; Betancourt, T.; High throughput fiber reactor process for organic nanoparticle production: Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), poly(acrylamide), and alginate. J. Applied Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45524. Link

Ciavatta, M. L.; Lefranc, F.; Carbone, M.; Mollo, E.; Gavagnin, M.; Betancourt, T.; Dasari, R.; Kornienko, A.*; Kiss, R.* Anticancer Compounds from Marine Mollusks. Medicinal Research Reviews. 2017, 37 (4), 702-801. Link

Cantu T.; Walsh, K.; Pattani, V.; Moy, A.; Tunnell, J.; Irvin, J.; Betancourt, T.; Conductive Polymer-Based Nanoparticle for Laser-Mediated Photothermal Ablation of Cancer: Synthesis, Characterization, and In Vitro Evaluation. International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2017, 17, 615-632. Link

Weigum, S.; Munoz, C.; McIvor, E.; Sutton, M.; Feng, R.; Cantu, T.; Betancourt, T. Targeted Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Aptamer-Functionalized Biodegradable Nanoparticles. Journal of Nanoparticle Research. 2016, 18, 341. Link