Senior Lecturer
erosca@ashesi.edu.gh
Courses taught at Ashesi: Discrete Theory and Concepts, Applied Programing for Engineers
Teaching Statement
I am passionate about teaching and I am interested in how to challenge students effectively to understand fundamental engineering concepts and how to use them to develop unique and novel solutions to problems. Using current challenges along with research and engineering principles as motivators I hope to inspire their curiosity and desire to approach even the most daunting problems. I believe that by challenging our students we bring out the best in them and build their confidence that they can be successful in anything they dream. Certainly this can be overwhelming but this is also a sign that they are about to embark on a journey. As Dr. Coleman, a leading innovator in higher education said: “Being overwhelmed is the first step if you are really serious about trying to get at things that really matter on a scale that makes a difference. So what do you do when you feel overwhelmed; you have two things: you have a mind and you have people. Start with those and change the world.”
Research Statement
My research interests lie in how to use biologically inspired concepts to optimize cancer therapies and diagnosis. I am particularly interested in how to implement such approaches and research in Africa, by developing cost effective, non-invasive and efficient therapies and sensors. Using mathematical modelling coupled with biology, we can develop models which will give us insights about critical parameters and allows us to analyse complex situations to understand how fundamental principles underpins them. I am particularly fascinated by how to use the complexity and connectivity of the immune system in the context of cancer to build a specific and personalised attack on tumors.
Ongoing Projects
- Rational design of liposomes to activate an immune anti-tumor response.
- Charge triggered aggregation of nanoparticles for rapid malaria point-of-care detection.
- Biosynthesis for development of sensors and environmental removal of toxic metals for soil remediation.
Selected Publications
- Caplan MR, Rosca EV. Targeting drugs to combinations of receptors: a modelling analysis of potential specificity. Ann Biomed Eng. 2005;33(8):1113-24.
- Elena V. Rosca, Michael R. Caplan. Mathematical modeling of nanoparticle-cell interactions”. Book chapter in Nanoparticle in Bioengineering, Methods in Bioengineering series, Artech House, 2010
- Rosca EV, Koskimaki JE, Pandey NB, Wolff AC, Popel AS. Development of a biomimetic peptide derived from collagen IV with anti-angiogenic activity in breast cancer. Cancer biology & therapy. 2011;12(9):808-17.
- Rosca EV, Koskimaki JE, Pandey NB, Tamiz AP, Popel AS. Structure-activity relationship study of collagen-derived anti-angiogenic biomimetic peptides. Chemical biology & drug design. 2012;80(1):27-37.
- Sturzenbaum SR, Hockner M, Panneerselvam A, Levitt J, Bouillard JS, Taniguchi S, Rosca EV, Biosynthesis of luminescent quantum dots in an earthworm. Nature nanotechnology. 2013;8(1):57-60
- Rosca EV, Wright M, Gonitel R, Gedroyc W, Miller AD, Thanou M. Thermosensitive, near-infrared-labeled nanoparticles for topotecan delivery to tumors. Molecular pharmaceutics. 2015;12(5):1335-46.
Previous Experience and Education
- Lecturer, University of Hull, UK
- Associate Researcher, Kings College, London, UK
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University, MD, USA
- PhD, Bioengineering, Arizona State University, USA
- MNS, Microbiology, Arizona State University, USA
- BSc, Microbiology, Arizona State University, USA
- BA, Mathematics, Arizona State University, USA