Ambika Bajpayee

Associate Professor,  Bioengineering
Affiliated Faculty,  Chemical Engineering
Affiliated Faculty,  Global Resilience Institute

Contact

Office

  • 216 ISEC
  • 617.373.7018

Related Links

Research Focus

Drug delivery; bio-electrostatics; transport phenomena in biological systems; biomechanics; osteoarthritis

About

Prof. Bajpayee works on drug delivery to connective and charged tissues such as cartilage, meniscus, intervertebral disc, and mucosal membranes. Her lab utilizes concepts of nanomedicine and bio-electrostatics to design polypeptides and protein-based carriers for targeted and sustained delivery of small molecule drugs, protein growth factors, antibodies, and genetic materials to specific intra-tissue and intra-cellular target sites inside connective tissues. A main focus is on using charge interactions and other binding mechanisms to rationally design drug carriers that can penetrate through the dense matrix of avascular, negatively charged tissues. Her lab is also interested in understanding mechanisms leading to degenerative joint diseases (e.g., osteoarthritis) due to aging and traumatic injuries. The group strives to combine basic science with translational research to develop biomedical technologies.

Education

  • PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015
  • MEng, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007
  • BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delhi, 2006

Honors & Awards

Teaching Interests

  • BIOE 2350, Biomechanics
  • BIOE 5650, Multiscale Biomechanics
  • BIOE5651, Fields, Forces and Flows

Professional Affiliations

  • Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI)
  • Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS)
  • Society for Biomaterials (SFB)
  • Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)

 

Research Overview

Drug delivery; bio-electrostatics; transport phenomena in biological systems; biomechanics; osteoarthritis

Molecular Bioelectrostatics & Drug Delivery Laboratory

The Bajpayee lab works on drug delivery to connective and charged tissues such as cartilage, meniscus, intervertebral disc and mucosal membranes. Connective tissues are pervasive throughout the body and their degeneration affects 10% of the human population. Their dense extracellular matrix, however, hinders penetration of most drugs. We utilize concepts of nanomedicine and bio-electrostatics to design polypeptides and protein-based carriers for targeted and sustained delivery of small molecule drugs, protein growth factors, antibodies and genetic materials to specific intra-tissue and intra-cellular target sites inside connective tissues.

Bayjpayee Lab

Selected Research Projects

Selected Publications

  • Warren, M.R., Zhang, C., Vedadghavami, A., Bokvist, K., Dhal, P.K., Bajpayee, A.G. (2021). Milk Exosomes with Enhanced Mucus Penetrability for Oral Delivery of siRNA. Biomaterials Science, 9, 4260-4277. 10.1039/D0BM01497D
  • He, T., Li, B., Colombani, T., Joshi-Navare, K., Mehta, S., Kisiday, J., Bencherif, S., Bajpayee, A.G. (2021). Hyaluronic Acid-Based Shape-Memory Cryogel Scaffolds for Focal Cartilage Defect Repair. Tissue Engineering Part A, doi.org/10.1089/ten.tea.2020.0264
  • Mehta, S., Young, C.C., Warren, M.R., Akhtar, S., Shefelbine, S.J., Crane, J.D., Bajpayee, A.G. (2021). Resveratrol and Curcumin Attenuate Ex Vivo Sugar-Induced Cartilage Glycation, Stiffening, Senescence and Degradation. Cartilage, doi.org/10.1177/1947603520988768
  • Wagner, E.K., Vedadghavami, A., Jacobsen, T.D., Goel, S.A., Chahine, N.O., Bajpayee, A.G. (2020). Avidin Grafted Dextran Nanostructure Enables a Month-Long Intra-Discal Retention. Scientific Reports, 10, 12017.
  • C. Young, A. Vedadghavami, A.G. Bajpayee, Bioelectricity For Drug Delivery: The Promise of Cationic Therapeutics, Bioelectricity, 2020
  • T. He, C. Zhang, A. Vedadghavami, S. Mehta, H. Clark, R. Porter, A.G. Bajpayee, Multi-Arm Avidin Cationic Nano-Construct as a Cationic Carrier for Intra-Cartilage Delivery of Small Molecules, Journal of Controlled Release, 318, 2020, 109-123
  • S. Mehta, S. Akhtar, R.M. Porter, P. Onnerfjord, A.G. Bajpayee, IL-1Ra Is More Effective in Suppressing Cytokine Induced Catabolism in Cartilage-Synovium Co-Culture Compared to Cartilage Monoculture, Arthritis Research and Therapy, 21, 2019, 238
  • A. Vedadghavami, E.K. Wagner, S. Mehta, T. He, C. Zhang, A.G. Bajpayee, Cartilage Penetrating Cationic Peptide Carriers for Applications in Drug Delivery to Avascular Negatively Charged Tissues, Acta Biomaterialia, 93, 2018, 258-269
  • A.G. Bajpayee, A.J. Grodzinsky, Cartilage Targeting Drug Delivery: Can Electrostatic Interactions Help?, Nature Rheumatology Reviews, 13, 2017, 183-193

Alumni

Apr 02, 2025

Drug Delivery Using Cationic Exosomes To Treat Osteoarthritis

Tanvi Vinod Pathrikar, PhD’24, bioengineering, who worked in BioE Associate Professor Ambika Bajpayee’s lab, published “Cartilage-targeting Exosomes for Delivery of Receptor Antagonist of Interleukin-1 in Osteoarthritis treatment” in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.

Headshots of Northeastern bioengineers Eno Ebong (left) and Ambika Bajpayee (right).

Faculty

Feb 11, 2025

Ebong and Bajpayee Receive Prestigious PECASE Award

ChE/BioE Associate Professor Eno Ebong and BioE Associate Professor Ambika Bajpayee were awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the federal government to outstanding early career scientists.

Faculty

Jan 31, 2025

2024 Stanford University Annual Assessment of Author Citations

The following COE professors are among the top scientists worldwide selected by Stanford University representing the top 2% of the most-cited scientists with single-year impact in various disciplines. The selection is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above. The list below includes those who published a paper in 2024 or later.

Students

Jun 26, 2024

BioE PhD Student Earns Prestigious IBSA Foundation Doctoral Fellowship

Helna Mary Baby, a BioE PhD student, advised by BioE Associate Professor Ambika Bajpayee, is one of only six students worldwide to earn the prestigious IBSA Foundation for Scientific Research Doctoral Fellowship to continue her work on developing novel gene delivery system to treat osteoarthritis. Her project was selected from a group of 248 project entries from 47 countries.

Faculty

Feb 01, 2024

Bajpayee’s Lab Research Featured on Cover of Biomaterials Science

Research conducted in BioE Associate Professor Ambika Bajpayee’s Molecular Bioelectrostatics and Drug Delivery Lab that focuses on oral delivery of gene therapeutics was featured on the front cover of Biomaterials Science. Students conducting the research are Chenzhen Zhang, PhD’23, and Hengli Zhang, PhD’25.

Faculty

Dec 07, 2023

2023 Stanford University Annual Assessment of Author Citations

The following COE professors are among the top scientists worldwide selected by Stanford University representing the top 2% of the most-cited scientists with single-year impact in various disciplines. The selection is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above.

Ambika Bajpayee

Faculty

Apr 12, 2023

Cationic Contrast Agents for Cartilage Imaging for Early Diagnosis of Arthritis

Ambika Bajpayee, associate professor, bioengineering, published a paper, “Cationic Carrier Mediated Delivery of Anionic Contrast Agents in Low Doses Enable Enhanced Computed Tomography Imaging of Cartilage for Early Osteoarthritis Diagnosis,” in the journal ACS Nano. The research details the creation of positively charged contrast agents that can target cartilage tissue in joints affected by osteoarthritis, enabling CT imaging at very low doses.

Ambika Bajpayee

Faculty

Aug 29, 2022

Bajpayee Awarded R21 Grant to Develop Therapies for Treating Lower Back Pain

BioE Associate Professor Ambika Bajpayee, in collaboration with Nadeen Chahine from Columbia University Health Sciences, was awarded a $222K R21 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Sustained Delivery of RhoA activator for Treatment of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.”

Faculty

Apr 15, 2022

Faculty and Staff Awards 2022

Congratulations to all the winners of the faculty and staff awards, and to everyone for their hard work and dedication during the 2021-2022 academic school year.

Ambika Bajpayee

Faculty

Dec 03, 2021

BioE’s Bajpayee Awarded NSF CAREER Grant for Drug Delivery Biomaterials

BioE Assistant Professor Ambika Bajpayee received a $630K NSF CAREER Award for “Developing electrically charged biomaterials for targeted drug delivery to negatively charged complex tissue environments.” Her research will investigate […]

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