Shijie Cao

Dr. Shijie Cao serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy, where he leads the Cao Lab focused on innovative drug delivery approaches for immunological disorders. His research bridges pharmaceutical sciences with immunology to develop novel therapeutic strategies targeting the microbiome and immune system.

Dr. Cao earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Fudan University in Shanghai, China in 2013, followed by a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Washington in 2018. He completed postdoctoral training in Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago from 2019-2023 before joining the UW faculty in June 2023.

His research program centers on mucosal immunoengineering and microbiome pharmaceutics, with the goal of developing translatable tools to prevent and treat immunological disorders including allergies, inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. The lab specifically focuses on developing therapeutics that modulate the immune system by targeting the microbiome and its associated metabolites. By leveraging advanced drug delivery tools and microbiome modulation strategies, Dr. Cao's team aims to unravel the complex interplay between the microbiome and various organ systems to improve human health.

Analysis of Dr. Cao's recent publications reveals a strong trajectory in developing microbiome-targeted therapies, particularly using butyrate and other microbial metabolites for autoimmune conditions and food allergies. His work demonstrates increasing sophistication in delivery systems, with recent publications focusing on glycosylation-modified antigens for tolerance induction, serine-conjugated butyrate prodrugs with high oral bioavailability, and injectable butyrate-prodrug micelles for long-acting immune modulation. The research spans applications from autoimmune arthritis and neuroinflammation to peanut allergy treatment and chronic wound healing.

Dr. Cao actively collaborates with prominent researchers including Jeffrey A. Hubbell and maintains strong connections with his previous mentors at the University of Chicago. His work frequently appears in high-impact journals including Nature Biomedical Engineering, Cell Reports Medicine, and Biomaterials, reflecting the significance and innovation of his contributions to pharmaceutical sciences.

The Cao Lab is currently accepting graduate students and maintains active research programs in two primary areas: developing tolerance-inducing vaccines for food allergies and autoimmune conditions, and creating microbiome-targeted delivery systems for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The lab employs interdisciplinary approaches combining nanotechnology, immunology, and microbiome science to address unmet medical needs in immune-mediated disorders.