Michigan Center for Extracellular Nanomedicine (MCEN)
Cells release tiny packages that carry messages, shaping how we develop, get sick, and heal. Nanoscale extracellular vesicles and particles are powerful yet poorly understood mediators of biological communication that shape health, disease progression, and therapeutic response. The Michigan Center for Extracellular Nanomedicine (MCEN) unites Michigan researchers across cell biology, materials science, computation, and artificial intelligence to study these particles and engineer them into new tools for detecting disease earlier, delivering drugs more precisely, and helping tissue heal — establishing U-M as a global leader in discovering and engineering biologically inspired nanoscale systems for next-generation diagnostics and therapeutics.
MCEN will establish a fully operational, interdisciplinary hub for extracellular vesicle and particle research, providing standardized workflows for isolation, characterization, and engineering. Predictive AI and machine-learning platforms will link the structure of these particles to their function, enabling rational design of next-generation diagnostics, therapeutics, and biomimetic materials, while high-impact pilot studies demonstrate translational technologies across cancer, neurodegeneration, and tissue repair.
Through shared infrastructure, computational platforms, and interdisciplinary training, MCEN will accelerate translation, enable transformative science, and build a future-ready workforce, training students, postdocs, and early-career scientists in biology, computation, and materials engineering. Industry and philanthropic engagement, alongside center-level funding proposals, will help ensure sustainable infrastructure, commercialization pathways, and lasting national and international leadership in engineered biological nanoparticles.
U-M Teams
School of Dentistry (opens in new tab) (primary), College of Engineering (opens in new tab)
Secondary Contacts
Sunitha Nagrath (College of Engineering)
