Di Wen, PhD
Earle A. Chiles Research Institute
Providence Cancer Institute
Dr. Wen is a scientist with experience in biology, organic chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical engineering. Currently, he leads the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory at the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a Providence Center of Excellence for immuno-oncology and cellular therapy.
During his postdoctoral training at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Dr. Wen’s research pioneered a novel approach to cancer therapy. He engineered fat cells and platelets for local drug delivery to enhance surgical effectiveness. He also developed the doxorubicin prodrug for encapsulationed in adipocytes and delivery to tumor cells through the lipid metabolism pathway.
The goal of the Biomedical Engineering Lab is to develop biomaterials and cellular therapies for local administration of treatments that stimulate the immune system. The lab is also investigating methods of engineering cells to deliver drug payloads of various cancer therapies directly to the surgical site and tumor. Dr. Wen and his team hope that people who receive the locally administered therapies will have better outcomes compared to traditional treatment methods.
- Postdoctoral, Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, 2021
- Doctor of Philosophy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 2017
- Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 2013
- Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, Nanjing University, 2011
- Assistant member, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Cancer Institute, 2021-present
- Assistant project scientist, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, 2020-2021
- Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, 2018-2020
- Postdoctoral fellow, Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill/North Carolina University, 2018
- Postdoctoral researcher, Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2017-2018
- American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
- The American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
- Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC)
- Globalization of Pharmaceutics Education Network Sponsorship, 2016
Dr. Wen’s research is published in peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals. He has partnered with colleagues on various research projects.