معرفی
Margaret A. Wheatley serves as the John M. Reid Professor at Drexel University's School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems. She earned her BS and MS in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Oxford University before completing her PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto. Following postdoctoral research with Dr. Robert Langer at MIT and three years in industry at Glaxo Smith Kline, she joined Drexel in 1987 as the Chemical Engineering Department's first female faculty member, then became an inaugural faculty member in the School of Biomedical Engineering in 1998.
Dr. Wheatley's research centers on developing novel polymeric platforms for medical applications, with particular focus on ultrasound contrast agent development for imaging, tumor targeting, and triggered drug delivery systems. Her laboratory has pioneered approaches to oxygen delivery to hypoxic tissue using ultrasound-sensitive carriers and developed innovative methods for spinal cord injury repair through encapsulated cell therapy. Her work integrates materials science, drug delivery, and ultrasound technology to address critical medical challenges.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong trend toward multimodal imaging approaches and targeted cancer therapies, with significant emphasis on polymeric microbubbles that can be activated at specific anatomical locations to release therapeutic agents. This technology enables precise drug delivery to tumors while minimizing systemic side effects, representing a significant advancement in cancer treatment modalities.
Her scientific contributions have been recognized with awards including the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Research Award (2015) and an NIH National Cancer Institute Grant for her oxygen microbubbles project. She has also moderated high-profile academic discussions, including a Science Unscripted Talk with Robert Langer in 2021.
Dr. Wheatley has mentored numerous students throughout her career, with current PhD candidates Lauren Jablonowski, Brian Oeffinder, and Nutte Teraphongphom continuing her research legacy. Her laboratory, located in the Calhoun Comparative Medicine Laboratories at Drexel University, functions as a diverse interdisciplinary team working at the interface of biotechnology and materials science, with current projects including controlling stem cell differentiation with materials and developing novel polymers for biomedical applications.
