Gail Matters

Gail Matters is an Associate Professor at Penn State College of Medicine, holding dual appointments in the Department of Molecular and Precision Medicine and the Department of Medicine. Her research focuses on innovative cancer therapies, particularly pancreatic cancer, leveraging nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems and molecular targeting strategies.

Her work includes collaborations with Dr. James Adair's lab to develop calcium-phosphosilicate nanoparticles (CPSNPs) encapsulating chemotherapy drugs and aptamers targeting the CCK2 receptor. She also investigates tumor fibrosis reduction using proglumide and exosome-mediated communication in the tumor microenvironment.

• Key Projects:
• Targeting pancreatic cancer with CCK-B receptor aptamers (NIH-funded)
• Novel nanoparticle therapies for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
• Blue-light signal transduction in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (past NSF project)

Her research has led to over 54 publications and 1,880 citations, with ongoing grants including the Penn State PROMISE program for oncology research training.