Peter Deak

Dr. Peter Deak is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Drexel University’s College of Engineering. His research focuses on immunoengineering, particularly on modulating innate immune cells to develop therapeutics for autoimmune diseases, transplantation rejection, and chronic viral infections like HIV.

• Education: PhD in Bioengineering (2017) and MS in Chemical Engineering (2016) from University of Notre Dame; BS in Chemical Engineering (2012) from University of Dayton.

His research spans three major areas: (1) Push/Pull Immunomodulation (PPI) for tolerogenic dendritic cells (TolDCs) to induce antigen-specific tolerance, (2) Targeted adjuvants for chronic viral infections using a "bait and switch immune activation" (BSIA) strategy, and (3) Development of autoinflammatory disease diagnostics via microfluidic chips.

Key trends in his publications include immunomodulatory nanotechnology, dendritic cell biology, and translational approaches for allergies and autoimmunity. He has published in journals such as Biomaterials, PNAS, and Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Scientific Awards:
• NIH R21 Exploratory Research Award (Kidney transplantation)
• NIH R56 Award (HIV-targeted Liposomal Vaccines, $400,000)
• Margaret Q. Landenberger Foundation Award (Early Stage Faculty, $200,000)

Dr. Deak leads the Deak Research Group, which investigates synergistic immunomodulatory combinations and delivery systems. His lab recently published in Cell Reports about dendritic cell subpopulations and in Frontiers in Immunology on cell-targeted vaccines.