Wassana Yantasee, Ph.D.

  • Professor of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine
  • Program in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, School of Medicine

Biography

My research is dedicated to developing novel therapeutics and vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases. These advancements are built upon our patented versatile nanoparticle platform designed for delivering siRNA, small molecule drugs, antibodies, antigens and/or adjuvants.

In order to bring our drug candidates to patients, I founded the startup company PDX Pharmaceuticals in 2010. In collaboration with OHSU, we have raised more than $13 million to conduct preclinical studies and investigational new drug studies. The lead drug candidates leverage the body's immune system to combat cancer while modulating the immunosuppression of hosts for a potent response. 

My lab takes pride in mentoring graduate students, post-doctoral researchers and research assistants, many of whom have gone on to prestigious colleges, graduate programs and medical schools. I have also served on approximately 40 scientific review panels for the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies.

Outside of work, I am an avid gardener and enjoy cultivating bonsai. I also value spending time with my family and cooking Thai foods for my team.

Education and training

    • Ph.D., 2001, Oregon State University
    • M.B.A., 2001, Oregon State University
    • M.S., 1999, Oregon State University
    • B.S., 1995, Chulalongkorn University

Honors and awards

  • Ronald L. Brodzinski Early Career Scientific Achievement Award, 2007, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  • Council of Outstanding Early Career Engineers, 2014, OSU

Publications

Selected publications

  • 1. Ruijie Wang, Pramod Kumar, Moataz Reda, Alyssa G Wallstrum, Noah A Crumrine, Worapol Ngamcherdtrakul, Wassana Yantasee, Nanotechnology Applications in Breast Cancer Immunotherapy, SMALL, 2023, 2308639
  • 2. Nelson, M.A., Ngamcherdtrakul, W., Luoh, S., Yantasee, W. Prognostic and therapeutic role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte subtypes in breast cancer. Cancer Metastasis and Reviews, 2021, 40, 519–536. 

Publications

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