Clairissa Corpstein

Clairissa Corpstein Profile Picture
Training Group:

Chemical Biology

Mentor / Lab:

Dr. Tonglei Li

Specific Research Area / Project:

Developing and predicting long-acting drug formulation performance for pediatric HIV

Research Profile:

Children with HIV require rigorous and complex oral drug regimens to keep their disease well managed, but adherence to these regimens is often difficult to maintain. These drugs are given in high doses multiple times a day, and are notorious for being poorly palatable. Without strict adherence, children face many serious health complications including drug resistance and neurological impairment. Simplified regimens currently exist for adults, and sustained release systems administered monthly instead of multiple times daily are in clinical trials. So far, these efforts have yet to be translated to children. There are three major reasons for this. First, that developing these systems is challenging, given the high dose and poor solubility of many drugs used to treat HIV. Second, that we lack an in-depth understanding of the physiology of non-oral routes of administration, such as subcutaneous injections, that would be required to make long-term delivery feasible. Third, that there is a reluctance, understandably, to test novel drug delivery systems in children.

Therefore, my project is two-fold: 1) develop a subcutaneous drug delivery system, one that accommodates the drug combination and dosage needed to treat HIV over the course of a month, and 2) predict its performance in children using whole-body pharmacokinetic simulations developed by our lab. In vitro assaying of drug release can be modeled using mathematical models that are physics based, to understand the mechanism of release and to predict drug release in different environments. Local release models can then be integrated in silico, and drug absorption and movement through the body can be simulated based on physiological parameters (such as skin thickness, porosity, water content, etc) that we can obtain from ex vivo skin samples and in vivo experiments. Overall, the project hopes to have a greater impact not only on pediatric HIV delivery systems, but on developing a methodology to predict dosing regimens and performance for other kinds of pediatric drugs.

About Me:

I was drawn to Purdue for graduate school because of PULSe; as an undergrad here I had had friends in my lab who were in PULSe, which led me to think about applying to interdisciplinary programs as a way to develop a broader understanding of many science fields. I loved the freedom of the program and the ability to rotate through labs in different departments, and in fact I would have never heard of the department I ended up joining and loving without this freedom.

PULSe is well-known for developing a strong, supportive community. My PULSe cohort is a group that I can continue to rely on, both socially and academically, even though we are now all spread out to different departments and research areas.

Science writing has been a passion of mine that has ultimately driven me throughout graduate school. I believe that effective science communication is nearly just as important as groundbreaking research; without the ability to talk about our research in a meaningful way, we can't hope for it to make the impact that it deserves. Whether this is an academic or industry setting, or even to the lay public, I want to help promote an increased understanding and appreciation for science in this way.

Publications:

  • Garland-Kuntz, E. Vago, F. Sieng, M. Van Camp, M. Chakravarthy, S. Blaine, A. Corpstein, C. Jiang, W. Lyon, A. (2018) “Direct observation of conformational dynamics of the PH domain in phospholipases Cε and β may contribute to subfamily-specific roles in regulation.” Manuscript in preparation.
  • Book Chapter: Wei Gao, Clairissa D. Corpstein, Tonglei Li. Treating cancer by delivering drug nanocrystals, Chapter 4 in Biomaterials for Cancer Therapeutics: Evolution and Innovation, Kinam Park (Ed.), Elsevier, 2019

Presentations:

  • Brito-Sierra, C.A. & Lopez A, H. F. (2014, December) Registro de Mamíferos en las Pinturas Rupestres de Cerro Azul, Guaviare, Colombia. Oral presentation at the IV Colombian Congress of Zoology, Cartagena, Colombia.
  • Brito-Sierra, C.A. Moreno G, A. Gonzalez, A.D. Calderon E, M. & Matta C, N.E. (2014, December) Survey of Hematozoa in San José del Guaviare Herpetofauna. Poster presented at the IV Colombian Congress of Zoology, Cartagena, Colombia.
  • Castro A, M. Karol, D. Brito-Sierra, C.A. Perovic, V. Bankova, D. Singht, A. Vassou, S. Sehr-Bassolé, S. & Prada, A. (2015, August) New Technical Applications of the Lotus Effect. Oral presentation at the World Science Conference, Jerusalem, Israel.
  • Brito-Sierra, C.A. & Hill, C.A. (2015, November) Developing Resistance Breaking Insecticides for Mosquito Control: Molecular Characterization of Aedesand Anopheles GPCRs. Poster presented at the Progreso CPI symposium,Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
  • Brito-Sierra, C.A. & Hill, C.A. (2015, December) Developing Resistance Breaking Insecticides for Mosquito Control: Molecular Characterization of Aedesand Anopheles GPCRs. Oral presentation at the UREP-C symposium, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA..
  • Brito-Sierra, C.A. Alley, M. Kaur, J. Watts, VJ & Hill, C.A. (2017, April) Breaking Insecticide Resistance in Mosquito Vectors: Molecular Characterization of G-Protein Coupled Receptors ForInsecticide Development. Poster presented at the PULSe Spring Symposium, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
  • Brito-Sierra, CA. Sirohi, D. Hill, C.A. & Kuhn, R.J. (2018, May) Transcriptome Analysis of Proprotein Convertases in Aedessp. Mosquitoes. Poster presented at the Hitchhiker’s Guide to Biomolecular Galaxy Symposium, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
  • Brito-Sierra, C.A. Sirohi, D. & Kuhn, R.J. (2019, February) Mosquito Furin-like proteases: implications during Flavivirus maturation. Poster presented at the Health and Disease Poster Session, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
  • Brito-Sierra, C.A. Sirohi, D. & Kuhn, R.J. (2019, April) Mosquito Furin-like proteases: implications during Flavivirus maturation. Poster presented at “A leap from lab”, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Brito-Sierra, C.A. Sirohi, D. & Kuhn, R.J. (2019, July) Mosquito Furin-like proteases: implications during Flavivirus maturation. Oral presentation at the American Society of Virology 2020. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Leadership:

  • Professional Grant Vice Chair (Grant and Allocation Committee, PGSG), Science Day co-chair, PULSe first-year mentor, PULSe recruitment and orientation activities, Choirs (St. Thomas Aquinas).

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