• Associate Professor of Urology

PhD (2007), Northwestern University

The Thaxton research team focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of functional bio-nanomaterials. The Thaxton lab pioneered the synthesis and characterization of nanoparticles that have some properties similar to natural high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Natural HDLs have many functions critically involved in regulating cellular cholesterol metabolism in both healthy and diseased cells. Synthetic HDL nanoparticles “look” like natural HDLs and are similarly targeted; however, the lab has demonstrated that HDL nanoparticles can be tailored to modulate cellular cholesterol.

Sensitive targeting and manipulation of cellular cholesterol with HDL nanoparticles is opening new avenues of fundamental research and may result in the development of potent new therapies for a wide range of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammation, among others. Thaxton’s specific research areas of interest include oncology, cancer metastasis, cardiovascular disease, exosomes, lipoproteins, and bioinspired materials.