Maria A. Croyle

Maria A. Croyle is Professor of Pharmaceutics and Glaxo Wellcome Endowed Professor at The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, leading the Croyle Lab focused on viral vector development for gene therapy and vaccines. She maintains adjunct affiliation with the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology and collaborates with MD Anderson Cancer Center’s W. M. Keck Center.

Her educational background includes:

• Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh (1992)
• Formulation Scientist, Merck Research Laboratories
• Graduate Training in Pharmaceutics, University of Michigan
• National Research Service Award (NIH) for Gene Therapy Training, University of Pennsylvania (1997)

Dr. Croyle’s research integrates virology, immunology, and pharmaceutics to overcome clinical barriers in viral vector applications. Her lab pioneers methods to reduce immune responses against adenoviruses/AAV/lentiviruses, enhance vector stability during processing, and develop single-dose vaccines—including pre-clinical Ebola vaccine work featured in National Geographic’s Breakthrough series. Current projects address viral vector impacts on hepatic/renal drug metabolism and novel lyophilization techniques for thermostable formulations.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• National Research Service Award (NIH, 1997)
• College of Pharmacy’s Excellence in Teaching award (2014)

Dr. Croyle has mentored 100+ students across pharmacy and basic science programs, emphasizing hypothesis-driven problem solving in virology and drug delivery. Her lab’s 50+ publications support collaborations with 14+ biotech firms, and she serves on NIH, Academy of Finland, and USP expert panels. She teaches ‘Physical and Chemical Principles of Drug Action’ using real-world scenarios and leads team-based graduate instruction in ‘Pharmaceutical Biotechnology’.

The Croyle Lab operates within UT Austin’s Pharmacy Building (PHR 4.214D), maintaining active partnerships with the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology and MD Anderson Cancer Center. The lab is recognized for rigorous interdisciplinary training in viral vector characterization, vaccine formulation, and translational pharmaceutics.