Mei Zhang

Mei Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Case School of Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, and a member of the School of Medicine and the Immune Oncology Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research bridges multi-omic analysis with systems immunology to engineer immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

• Education: BS in Chemistry (Wuhan University, 1998), PhD in Polymer Physics and Chemistry/Biology (Wuhan University & CUHK, 2003), and MBA (Weatherhead School of Management, ongoing since 2018)

Her research focuses on immunoengineering to modulate tumor microenvironments (TME) via biomaterials and nanostructures. By targeting myeloid cells and tumor-associated macrophages, her lab develops beta-glucan-based immunotherapies and peptide-nanoparticle systems to enhance T cell responses in pancreatic cancer, melanoma, and osteosarcoma. Key innovations include BG34-200, a FDA-designated rare pediatric disease and orphan-drug candidate, and Y-shaped peptides for targeted imaging and therapeutic delivery.

Recent publications highlight her work on multi-omics for immune modulation, nanoparticle design for TME targeting, and beta-glucan mechanisms in immunotherapy. Her lab’s translational focus has secured multiple grants to advance BG34-200 toward clinical trials for canine osteosarcoma and pediatric cancers.

• National Zeng Zhaolun Chemistry Award (2002)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship (2005-2007)
• International Fellowship (2005-2007)
• VeloSano Research Scholar Award (2016)
• Rising Star Award, AYA Cancer Symposium (2019)
• Hyundai Hope Scholar Award (2020)

While no formal advisees are listed, her lab collaborates on clinical trial development for pediatric osteosarcoma. She also contributes to editorial responsibilities at Frontiers in Immunology and participates in national committees like the ACS SBIR Program (2011-2013).

Dr. Zhang leads the Immunoengineering Lab (zhanglab-bme.com), which merges multi-omics and systems immunology to engineer therapies that reprogram suppressive TMEs. Her team’s work spans botanical-derived immunomodulators, nanoparticle design, and computational modeling of host-microbe interactions.