Shawn D Hingtgen, Ph.D.
Professor, Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics
Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, UNC School of Medicine
PHONE(919) 537-3827
hingtgen@email.unc.edu
ADDRESS
4212 Marsico Hall, 125 Mason Farm Road, , Chapel Hill, NC, 27599
DOWNLOAD CV
Due to their expansive utility, stem cell-based therapies hold the potential to redefine therapeutic approaches and provide cures for many terminal diseases. In the Hingtgen lab, we seek to harness the potential of stem cells to develop new and better methods for treating terminal cancers, including brain, breast, lung, and others. We use an integrative approach that begins with creating specially designed targeted therapeutic proteins. We then “arm” different stem cell types with the anti-cancer molecules, and investigate the ability of stem cell-based therapies to improve both drug delivery and cancer cell killing using various small animal models of human cancer. Central to our research is the extensive integration of non-invasive imaging. We use multiple imaging modalities to provide real-time dynamic feedback on stem cell and tumor cell volumes and distribution, pharmacokinetics of drug delivery, and the overall effectiveness of our therapeutic approaches. By bringing together the tools and techniques of molecular biology, viral vectors, targeted therapeutics, stem cell biology, and molecular imaging with highly translatable animal models, we hope to ultimately bring successful cell-based treatments for multiple tumor types into the clinics.
Education, Certification and Licensure
- 1998 – 2004: Ph.D. at the University of Iowa
- 1994 – 1998: B.S. in Biology at the University of Iowa
Current Projects
- Developing tumor-homing stem cell beacons for immune-based cancer therapy
- Nanofiber matrices to improve neural stem cell-mediated cancer therapy
- Engineering stem cell therapies to understand and overcome glioblastoma adaption
- Personalized Neural Stem Cell Therapy for Cancer
Honors and Awards
| 2021 | American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows |
| 2018 | UNC Hettleman Prize for Scholarly and Artistic Achievement by Young Faculty |
| 2014 | Young Investigator Award, Society for Neuro-Oncology |
| 2013 | Finalist, The Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award |
| 2010 | Keystone Symposia Underrepresented Minority Scholarship |
| 2008 | American Brain Tumor Association Post-doctoral Research Fellowship |
| 2005 | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Minority Travel Award |
| 2005 | Caroline tum Suden/Frances A. Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity Award |
| 2004 | College of Medicine Public Health Research Week Award |
| 2004 | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Minority Travel Award |
| 2004 | Caroline tum Suden/Frances A. Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity Award |
| 2003 | New Investigator Award, Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine |
| 2003 | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Minority Travel Award |
| 2003 | Caroline tum Suden/Frances A. Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity Award |
| 2002 | Merck New Investigator Award |
| 2001 | Honorable Mention-James F. Jackobsen Forum |
| 1994-98 | Undergraduate Scholar Assistant |
| 1994-98 | Opportunity at Iowa Underrepresented Minority Scholarship |
News
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Hingtgen Awarded UNC Hettleman Prize for Young Faculty
Shawn Hingtgen, Ph.D., was awarded the Philip and Ruth Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement by Young Faculty by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Hingtgen is an associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy … Read more
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Stem Cells Show Promise as Drug Delivery Tool for Childhood Brain Cancer
The latest in a series of laboratory breakthroughs could lead to a more effective way to treat the most common brain cancer in children. Scientists from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer … Read more
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Shawn Hingtgen Promoted to Associate Professor
Shawn Hingtgen, Ph.D., a faculty member who is pioneering a new treatment for cancer using induced neural stem cells to deliver therapeutic agents, has been promoted to the rank of associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Due … Read more
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$10 Billion in UNC Startup Revenue Delivers Economic Boost to NC
Falcon Therapeutics, a company spun out of Assistant Professor Shawn’s Hingtgen’s work treating brain cancer, is one of the ventures contributing to a rise in the economic value of startups connected with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, … Read more
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New Glioblastoma Treatment Successfully Tested with Human Cells
In a rapid-fire series of breakthroughs in just under a year, researchers at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy have made another stunning advance in the development of an effective glioblastoma treatment for a common and aggressive brain cancer. The … Read more
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Removing a Brain Tumor Makes Remaining Cancer More Aggressive, UNC Study Finds
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeking a better treatment for glioblastoma have discovered that removing a brain tumor causes any cancer left behind to grow 75 percent faster than the original tumor did, which helps … Read more
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UNC Scientists First to Hunt Brain Cancer with Skin Cells Converted to Stem Cells
Scientists at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy are using the newest version of a Nobel Prize–winning technology for the first time to build cancer-killing stem cells that hunt down and mop up the remnants of invasive brain tumors, promising … Read more
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Elizabeth Gurysh Receives PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
Elizabeth Gurysh, Ph.D., was awarded the pharmaceutics postdoctoral fellowship by the PhRMA Foundation, whose mission is to support young scientists in disciplines important to the pharmaceutical industry to encourage them to pursue careers in research and education related to drug … Read more
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Batrakova Makes Cancer Drug 50 Times More Potent by Delivering It with Exosomes
For the first time, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have packaged the cancer drug paclitaxel in exosomes — containers derived from a patient’s own immune system — to make it 50 times more potent against … Read more
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Eshelman Institute for Innovation Awards $9.4 Million to Fund First Round of Innovative Ideas
The Eshelman Institute for Innovation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill awarded nearly $9.4 million in its inaugural round of funding for innovative ideas submitted by faculty and staff at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. The … Read more