Teruna Siahaan

Teruna Siahaan, Ph.D. is the Aya and Takeru Higuchi Distinguished Professor in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas. He serves as Associate Chair in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Co-Director of the NIH Biotechnology Training Program. His research centers on leveraging cell adhesion molecules for targeted drug delivery and tissue engineering applications, with strong associations to KU's Bioimaging and Biomolecular Engineering tracks.

Recent work focuses on blood-brain barrier modulation using cadherin-derived peptides, enabling enhanced delivery of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases and brain tumors. His team develops bioactive peptides for autoimmune disease suppression, antimicrobial therapies, and macromolecule transport across biological barriers. Collaborations span nanotechnology, molecular dynamics simulations, and clinical translation of novel drug delivery systems.

The research portfolio demonstrates expertise in

• peptide engineering
• translational neuroscience
• biopharmaceutical development
• autoimmune disease modulation
• structural-activity relationship studies
• in vivo efficacy testing

His work combines computational methods with experimental validation to optimize therapeutic candidates for complex diseases.