Kathryn Whitehead
Professor, Chemical Engineering
Courtesy Appointment, Biomedical Engineering
Professor, Chemical Engineering
Courtesy Appointment, Biomedical Engineering
Kathryn Whitehead is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Whitehead joined the Department of Chemical Engineering as an assistant professor in 2012. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware in 2002 and her Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2007. As a graduate student in the laboratory of Samir Mitragotri, Whitehead developed systems for the oral delivery of macromolecules. From 2008 - 2012, she undertook postdoctoral training with Bob Langer at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. There, she developed biomaterials and methodologies for the advancement of RNA interference therapeutics. Whitehead is a native Pennsylvanian, having grown up in Allentown.
The research interests of the Whitehead Lab lie at the interface of chemical engineering, molecular biology, and medicine. The group’s 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, the group is 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, the group is able to design delivery systems using modern chemical techniques to overcome or cooperate with those components. Specifically, Whitehead’s Lab is interested in the development of delivery systems for the nucleus, the intestinal epithelium, and various leukocytes, including B lymphoma cells.
2007 Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara
2002 BS, Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Research by ChemE/BME’s Kathryn Whitehead was featured as a Science Highlight by the NIBIB, part of the NIH. Whitehead's lab developed lipid nanoparticles that are designed to carry mRNA specifically to the pancreas.
CMU Engineering
Kathryn Whitehead is at the forefront of the mRNA delivery field, changing the chemistry of nanoparticle delivery vehicles to enable them to reach organs beyond the liver.
CMU Engineering
Kathryn Whitehead is exploring ways to utilize the unique properties of breast milk to develop a novel approach to infant disease therapy.
Chemical Engineering
On Sunday, February 28th, CBS Evening News featured Carnegie Mellon Chemical Engineering Professor Kathryn Whitehead, who sat down with CBS’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Jon LaPook, to discuss the future of mRNA drug delivery.
Pittsburgh Business Times
In the Pittsburgh Business Times’ latest “Personalities of Pittsburgh” article, Paul Gough sits down with ChemE’s Katie Whitehead to discuss mRNA vaccines, science communication, Whitehead’s hobbies, and more.
BBC
ChemE’s Katie Whitehead was quoted in BBC on the capabilities of mRNA.
Chemical Engineering
CMU Chemical Engineering Ph.D. student, Mariah Arral, has never let anything stand in the way of pursuing her dreams. From battling through financial hardship to overcoming disabilities like autism and dyslexia, she continues to work towards a career in academia, one that many told her would never happen.
CMU Engineering
Following her recent TED Talk, Katie Whitehead sits down with NPR’s TED Radio Hour Host, Manoush Zomorodi, to discuss lipid nanoparticles and how RNA drugs are revolutionizing modern medicine.
CMU Engineering
With major investments in infrastructure and innovation pending, a multi-disciplinary initiative lead by EPP’s Erica Fuchs is building the tools and innovations to inform government decisions.
Pittsburgh Business Times
ChemE’s Katie Whitehead presented on lipid nanoparticles in RNA drug delivery at the Precision Medicine World Conference on Friday, September 24.
Chemical Engineering
Katie Whitehead explains lipid nanoparticles and how mRNA drugs will provide treatments and cures for some of the world’s most deadly diseases and pathogens at the 2021 TED conference in Monterey.
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
BME’s Adam Feinberg, ChemE’s Kathryn Whitehead, BME’s Byron Yu, and BME Associate Department Head Conrad Zapanta have been elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s College of Fellows.