Caroline De Gracia Lux, Ph.D.

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Caroline de Gracia Lux received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Strasbourg under the mentorship of Marie Pierre Krafft, Ph.D. synthesizing and evaluating new classes of fluorinated surfactants to promote self-assembly and compartmentalized systems for material science applications.

Following her Ph.D., she completed postdoctoral training at UCSD focusing on biocompatible materials for theranostic applications. She was instrumental in the success of various projects on polymeric materials that degrade and release their contents in response to either abnormal biological conditions or by remote optical activation. She concurrently completed a Micro-MBA program at UCSD (Rady School of Management) that focused on communication, leadership in high performance teams, finance, strategy and marketing.

She recently joined the newly established Translational Research in Ultrasound Theranostics program at UT Southwestern Dept of Radiology. Her current research interest is combining creative synthetic chemistry and formulation to develop ultrasound contrast agent with sophisticated architecture aimed to address a wide range of challenges in cancer imaging and treatment.

Ongoing projects focus on the stabilization of low boiling point perfluorocarbon emulsion using a low interfacial tension approach, the development of new activatable ultrasound contrast agents and multimodal imaging probes.

Undergraduate

University of Upper Alsace (2005), Chemistry

Graduate School

University of Upper Alsace (2007), Chemistry

Graduate School

University of Strasbourg (2010), Chemistry

Graduate School

Uni of California-San Diego (2015), Business Administration

• Microbubbles, Nanobubbles, Nanodroplets, Ultrasound Contrast Agents, Perfluorocarbon Emulsions, Chemistry, Bioresponsive Materials, Perfluorocarbon Emulsions for Pulmonary Indications, Immunotherapy

Featured Publications

Bubble inflation using phase-change perfluorocarbon nanodroplets as a strategy for enhanced ultrasound imaging and therapy

Brambila CJ, Lux J, Mattrey RM, Boyd D, Borden MA, de Gracia Lux C Langmuir 2020 11 36 2954-2965

Fluorous-phase iron oxide nanoparticles as enhancers of acoustic droplet vaporization of perfluorocarbons with supra-physiologic boiling point.

Vezeridis AM, de Gracia Lux C, Barnhill SA, Kim S, Wu Z, Jin S, Lux J, Gianneschi NC, Mattrey RF, J Control Release 2019 May 302 54-62

Novel method for the formation of monodisperse superheated perfluorocarbon nanodroplets as activatable ultrasound contrast agents.

de Gracia Lux C, Vezeridis AM, Lux J, Armstrong AM, Sirsi SR, Hoyt K, Mattrey RF RSC Adv 2017 7 77 48561-48568

Exploiting oxidative microenvironments in the body as triggers for drug delivery systems.

Joshi-Barr S, de Gracia Lux C, Mahmoud E, Almutairi A Antioxid. Redox Signal. 2014 Aug 21 5 730-54

Biocompatible polymeric nanoparticles degrade and release cargo in response to biologically relevant levels of hydrogen peroxide.

de Gracia Lux C, Joshi-Barr S, Nguyen T, Mahmoud E, Schopf E, Fomina N, Almutairi A J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012 Sep 134 38 15758-64

Compression of self-assembled nano-objects: 2D/3D transitions in films of (perfluoroalkyl)alkanes--persistence of an organized array of surface micelles.

de Gracia Lux C, Gallani JL, Waton G, Krafft MP Chemistry 2010 Jun 16 24 7186-98

Short Soluble Coumarin Crosslinkers for Light Controlled Release of Cells and Proteins from Hydrogels.

de Gracia Lux C, Lux J, Collet G, He S, Chan M, Olejniczak J, Foucault-Collet A, Almutairi A Biomacromolecules 2015 Sep

Light-responsive nanoparticle depot to control release of a small molecule angiogenesis inhibitor in the posterior segment of the eye.

Huu VA, Luo J, Zhu J, Zhu J, Patel S, Boone A, Mahmoud E, McFearin C, Olejniczak J, de Gracia Lux C, Lux J, Fomina N, Huynh M, Zhang K, Almutairi A J Control Release 2015 Feb 200 71-7

Near-infrared-induced heating of confined water in polymeric particles for efficient payload release.

Viger ML, Sheng W, Doré K, Alhasan AH, Carling CJ, Lux J, de Gracia Lux C, Grossman M, Malinow R, Almutairi A ACS Nano 2014 May 8 5 4815-26

Collective activation of MRI agents via encapsulation and disease-triggered release.

Viger ML, Sankaranarayanan J, de Gracia Lux C, Chan M, Almutairi A J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013 May 135 21 7847-50

• Haberecht Wildhare Idea (UT Southwestern)
  (2021)
• Emerging Scientist Award (Children Cancer Research Fund)
  (2019)
• Innovating Project "Doctoriales d' Alsace" (CNRS and Region Alsace)
  (2009)
• Travel Fellowship (French Society of Chemistry and Doctoral School of Chemistry)
  (2008)
• Travel Fellowship (Groupe Francais du Fluor)
  (2008)
• Engineering Doctorate Fellowship (CNRS and Region Alsace)
  (2007-2010)

• American Chemical Society (2011)
• American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (2017)
• Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center (2018)
• Materials Research Society (2017)
• Society for Biomaterials (2018)