Emma Aldrich

Emma Aldrich currently teaches courses in general physics. Her research focuses on biophysics, leveraging physics-based simulations to address questions at the interface of immunology, cancer, and other inflammatory diseases. Specific areas of interest include the development of novel immunotherapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, as well as computational modeling of mechanisms that disrupt tumor immunosuppression. Aldrich has a Ph.D. in Biological Engineering from University of Colorado - Boulder.

Education

• Ph.D, Biological Engineering. - University of Colorado - Boulder
• M.S., Biomedical Engineering - University of Colorado - Boulder
• B.S., Physics and Biology - Washington and Lee University

Research

• Molecular dynamics simulations of macrophage receptor, TREM2, to identify variant-induced changes in conformational ensembles and therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease and cancer
• Simulation and design principles for modulating Polyomavirus Tumor Antigen–PP2A Interfaces
• Modeling intrinsically disordered heparin binding domains of growth factors overexpressed in cancers for the robust design of cross-reactive/bispecific antibodies
• Simulation of microtubule associated proteins and perturbations of microtubule dynamics in disease states
• Mimetic peptide design targeting conformational ensembles for neurodegenerative disease and cancer

Teaching

• PHYS 1101 - General Physics I

Selected Publications

• Emma E. Lietzke, David Saeb, Emma C. Aldrich, Kimberley D. Bruce, Kayla G. Sprenger (2026). Uncovering the Biological Mechanisms of TREM2 with Molecular Simulations: A Comprehensive Review and Perspective. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology. doi: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2026.06.002
• Samuel A. Blackman, Ahlam Qerquez, Alison Lee, Nicole Johnson, Justin Owens, Grace Lai, Emma C. Aldrich, Kayla Sprenger, Jangsoon Lee, Sophie Verrier, Martin Stoddart, Annalee Nguyen, Jennifer A. Maynard (2026). Antibodies blocking PlGF or VEGF interactions with the NRP1 receptor mediate antiproliferative effects. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 302(6):111476. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2026.111476
• Emma E. Lietzke, David Saeb, Emma C. Aldrich, Kimberley D. Bruce, Kayla G. Sprenger (2025). Synergistic Reduction in Interfacial Flexibility of TREM2R47H and ApoE4 May Underlie AD Pathology. Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of Alzheimer’s Association. 21(4):e70120. doi: 10.1002/alz.70120.
• David Saeb, Emma E. Lietzke, Daisy Fuchs, Emma C. Aldrich, Kimberley D. Bruce, and Kayla G. Sprenger (2024). The flexible stalk region of sTREM2 modulates its interactions with phospholipids in the brain, eLife. doi:10.7554/eLife.102269.2.
• Emily R. Rhodes, Nicole B. Day, Emma C. Aldrich, Kayla G. Sprenger, C. Wyatt Shields IV (2024). Elucidating the Role of Carrier Proteins in Cytokine Stabilization within Double Emulsion-Based Polymeric Nanoparticles. Bioengineering & Translational Medicine, e10722. doi: 10.1002/btm2.10722
• Emma C. Aldrich, Beth Reed, L. Stoleriu, D.A. Mazilu and I. Mazilu (2021). A general one-dimension traffic model for motion of molecular motors on microtubules of variable length. International Conference on Mathematical Modelling in Physical Sciences. Online. 2090(1), 012024. doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2090/1/012024.
• Beth Reed, Emma C. Aldrich, L. Stoleriu, Dan A. Mazilu, Irina Mazilu (2021). A one-dimensional modified TASEP model on a track of variable length: analytical and computational results. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2090(1). doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2090/1/012025.
• Elise Baker, Matthew O. Withers, Emma C. Aldrich, Isabella Shaffrey, Justin Pusztay, Dan A. Mazilu, D. A, Irina Mazilu (2019). A computational model for the ionic self-assembly of nanoparticle under the influence of external electric fields. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1391(1), 012007. doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/1391/1/012007.