Daniel Heller

Daniel A. Heller is a Professor and Member of the Molecular Pharmacology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), holding joint appointments at Weill Cornell Medicine. His research focuses on developing nanotechnologies for cancer diagnosis and treatment, including targeted drug delivery systems, early cancer detection methods, and nanosensors for in vivo monitoring. He leads the Cancer Nanomedicine Laboratory, pioneering innovations in precision medicine and biomedical engineering.

Education:

• PhD in Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2010)
• Bachelor of Arts in History, Rice University (2000)

Research Interests: Dr. Heller’s work bridges nanotechnology and biomedicine, emphasizing:

• Design of nanocarriers for drug delivery across biological barriers (e.g., blood-brain barrier)
• Development of optical nanosensors for real-time biomarker detection
• Machine learning-driven approaches to optimize nanomedicine formulations
• Early-stage cancer detection via nanoscale imaging and diagnostics

His lab’s innovations include P-selectin-targeted nanoparticles, quantum defect-modified carbon nanotube sensors, and drug-eluting rubber bands for surgical applications.

Key Achievements:

• Recipient of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (2012) and Pershing Square Sohn Prize (2017)
• Over 100 peer-reviewed publications, including high-impact journals like Nature Materials and Science Advances
• Co-founder of multiple startups (e.g., Selectin Therapeutics, Lime Therapeutics) translating nanomedicine research into clinical tools

Labs & Teams: Directs the Cancer Nanomedicine Laboratory at MSKCC, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams in engineering, pharmacology, and oncology. Active in training the next generation of cancer engineers through the Cancer Engineering PhD program.