About Dr. Kuo-Ching (KC) Mei

Research Expertise

  • Molecular Pharmaceutics

    • Drug & Gene Delivery

      • Liposomal formulations (chemical synthesis & formulation)

      • Lipid nanoparticle systems (chemical synthesis & formulation)

      • AAVs

    • Biotherapeutics & Synthetic Biology

      • Nucleic acid & protein engineering

      • Cell engineering (Logic-gated CARs)

  • Pharmacology & Toxicity

    • Oncology

    • Immunogenicity & Immunoengineering

    • Gene therapy

  • Pharmaceutics & Pharmaceutical Chemistry

    • QbD/DOE

    • Controlled-release solid dosage forms (lab to GMP)

Current Appointments and Affiliations

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of Utah College of Pharmacy

  • Principal Investigator, MEI Lab 2.0

  • Huntsman Cancer Institute - Experimental Therapeutics Program

Research Support and Recognition

  • Recipient of a 2024 NIH/NIGMS R35 Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award for Early Stage Investigators

  • Research supported by the Foundation for Eradicating Duchenne for mitigating adverse immunogenicity in DMD treatment

  • Research supported by the UURF in developing CNS-targeting LNPs

Education and Scientific Training

  • BS in Pharmacy and pharmacist licensure, Taiwan

  • MRes with Distinction (Pharmaceutics/NanoMedicine), UCL School of Pharmacy, United Kingdom

  • PhD in Pharmaceutical Science, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, United Kingdom

  • Postdoctoral training, David Geffen School of Medicine and California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA

  • Postdoctoral training, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

Research and Mentoring Philosophy

The Mei Laboratory integrates fundamental pharmaceutical science with molecular engineering to develop delivery technologies that can improve the safety, specificity, and translational potential of modern biotherapeutics.

Dr. Mei is committed to training future pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists to think rigorously across disciplinary boundaries. Trainees in the laboratory develop expertise in experimental design, quantitative analysis, scientific communication, and translating fundamental research into therapeutically relevant technologies.

Beyond the Laboratory

Outside the laboratory, Dr. Mei enjoys jazz. He previously played the trumpet and is now relearning to play the keyboard. Music provides a creative counterbalance to research and a continuing reminder that learning something difficult can be both humbling and rewarding.