Kathryn A Whitehead

Kathryn Ann Whitehead (born 1980) is an American chemical engineer who is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on the engineering of nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems for gene therapy, oral macromolecular delivery systems, and maternal and infant therapeutics. She was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2021 and as Fellow of the Controlled Release Society.

Early life and education Whitehead is from Allentown, Pennsylvania. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering at the University of Delaware, Whitehead was a postdoctoral researcher at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, where she worked alongside Robert S. Langer on RNA interference therapeutics.

Research and career Whitehead's research included the development of drug delivery systems for gene therapies. She is interested in the development of nanoparticle materials to deliver messenger RNA (mRNA) to specific cells. Targeted mRNA delivery provides physicians with a personalized strategy to treat genetic disorders. Alongside mRNA, Whitehead has studied small interfering RNA, which can be used to control gene expression. In general, mRNA promotes gene expression, whilst siRNA is used to silence over-expressed genes. She focuses on the development of delivery systems for leukocytes (including B cells) and intestinal epithelium. A challenge with using mRNA for therapeutic purposes is that the body often recognizes foreign mRNA and attacks it, triggering an immune response.

In an attempt to better design drug delivery systems, Whitehead has investigated the cellular components of breast milk. She is interested in whether it is possible to genetically engineer cells to treat children's allergies, or orally administer vaccines to infants. In 2021, she delivered a TED talk on lipid nanoparticles and how mRNA will transform biology. In 2022, Whitehead delivered the convocation address at the Carnegie Mellon University.

Awards and honors Elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering DARPA Young Faculty Award MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35 NIH Director's New Innovator Award

Selected publications