Rebecca Pompano

About

Dr. Pompano's research interests center on developing microfluidic and chemical assays to unravel the complexity of the immune response and inform new immunotherapies.  Her lab combines unique expertise in bioanalytical chemistry, microfluidics, bioengineering, and immunology to create brand new ways to look at the immune system. 

One area of interest is utilizing live samples of intact tissue to test new vaccines and immunotherapies outside of the body.  The Pompano lab has created specialized microfluidic technology to locally stimulate specific regions of these samples, to mimic the arrival of drugs through blood or lymphatic vessels.  Another exciting area is to hold two types of tissue in communication on a microfluidic chip, for example to study tumor immunity or neuro-immune communication.

The Pompano lab is funded by a prestigious Individual Biomedical Research Award from The Hartwell Foundation and received the national Starter Grant Award from the Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh in 2016. In 2017, the lab was awarded an NIH R01 to develop hybrids of microfluidics and lymph node tissue to study inflammation.  Dr. Pompano is also active in advocating for continued funding for education and biomedical research on Capitol Hill.

Dr. Pompano is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia.  Please see the Pompano Lab website for an up-to-date list of publications and news: www.pompanolab.com.