The MEI Lab is dedicated to advancing Molecular Pharmaceutics, the scientific discipline that connects pharmaceutical science, biomedical engineering, and translational medicine. Molecular Pharmaceutics asks a central question: How can we design therapeutic molecules—and the systems that deliver them—to act precisely where they are needed in the body?

Our work focuses on drug, gene, and cell delivery, an area that has become increasingly important as modern therapies grow more complex. Many of today’s most promising treatments—such as mRNA medicines, gene-editing tools, biologics, and engineered immune cells—require sophisticated delivery technologies to protect them, guide them to the right tissues, and ensure they work safely and effectively. Developing these delivery systems is a scientific challenge that sits at the heart of Molecular Pharmaceutics.

In our laboratory, we explore how biomaterials, polymeric/lipid-nanoparticles, and chemical and biomolecular engineering can be used to improve the performance, specificity, and safety of advanced therapeutics. By understanding how biological barriers, immune pathways, and cellular processes influence treatment outcomes, we design delivery systems that can overcome these barriers in a predictable, controlled manner.

Our Mission

Transforming Cancer Immunotherapy

We aim to develop delivery platforms and therapeutic immune cells that make cancer immunotherapies more effective, more precise, and less toxic. By improving the delivery of immune-modulating molecules to solid tumors and immune cells, we aim to enhance anti-tumor responses while reducing unwanted side effects. Our primary focus includes breast cancer, colon cancer, and melanoma treatments.

Enabling Safe and Durable Gene Therapy for Rare Diseases

Gene therapy holds great promise, but its success depends on getting a therapeutic gene to the right cells, in the right amount, at the right time. We design delivery systems that improve targeting and safety, addressing one of the field's most significant challenges: achieving reliable, tissue- and cell-specific gene delivery. Our diseases of interest include DMD, ALS, Huntington's, and Hunter’s, etc.