Kathryn Whitehead

Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering

Research

The research interests of the Whitehead Lab lie at the interface of chemical engineering, molecular biology, and medicine. Our ultimate goal is to engineer safe and effective drug delivery systems capable of achieving therapeutic outcomes in biological models and, ultimately, in humans. As a first step, the Whitehead Lab is interested in developing a fundamental understanding of the relationship between delivery barrier biology and drug transport. To accomplish this, we are employing RNA interference, a biological phenomenon that induces gene silencing in the presence of siRNA. Through the identification of cellular components essential to the drug transport process, we are able to design delivery systems using modern chemical techniques to overcome or cooperate with those components. Specifically, we are interested in the development of delivery systems for the nucleus, the intestinal epithelium, and various leukocytes, including B lymphoma cells.

Publications

All publications can be found here.