W. Mark Saltzman, PhD

We are studying the use of novel drug delivery systems, which are based primarily on biocompatible polymers. Our current studies focus on three different clinical applications of these materials:

1. for local delivery of potent agents such as chemotherapy in tumors or paracrine growth factors in tissue repair;
2. for enhancing the delivery and/or presentation of antigens to the immune system for vaccination; and
3. for non-viral DNA expression in cells and tissues.

W. Mark Saltzman is the Goizueta Foundation professor and the department chair of biomedical engineering at the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science. His research focuses on developing the most economical, transportable and accessible methods for disease prevention and methods to more effectively deliver chemotherapy to the most aggressive forms of brain tumors. Dr. Saltzman’s research interests include controlled drug
delivery to the brain, polymers for supplementing or stimulating the immune system, cell interactions with polymers, and tissue engineering. He studies how to create safer and more effective medical and surgical therapy based on tissue engineering. Dr. Saltzman worked with an interdisciplinary team to develop what is now the standard of care for treating brain tumors.

Dr. Saltzman received his S.M. and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was elected as a fellow of the American Institute of Biological and Medical Engineers and was named the Britton Chance Distinguished Lecturer in Engineering and Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Saltzman served as a member of the
surgery and bioengineering study section at the National Institutes of Health and has authored two textbooks and more than 100 peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Saltzman was honored with the Distinguished Lecturer Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Biocompatible Polymers