Masako Harada

Masako Harada is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan State University (MSU), affiliated with the Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering. Her research focuses on engineering extracellular vesicles (EVs) for targeted drug delivery of oligonucleotides and small molecules, with applications in oncology and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Harada holds a Ph.D. in experimental oncology from the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) and completed postdoctoral training at Stanford University. Her work integrates EV biology, molecular engineering, and nanomedicine to develop diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Key research areas include EV surface modification, in vivo targeting strategies, and scalable bioprocessing techniques.

Her lab investigates EV-based systems for non-coding RNA delivery (e.g., miRNAs, CRISPR-Cas9) and imaging agents, with a focus on overcoming biological barriers for clinical translation. Recent advancements include the VesicleVoyager platform for tissue-specific targeting and TFF-SEC purification methods for EV isolation.

Notable contributions span EV standardization guidelines (MISEV2023), DNA library cloning innovations (RecombiCraft), and biomarker discovery in pulmonary hypertension. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges engineering, biology, and medicine to address unmet clinical needs in cancer therapy and diagnostic imaging.