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Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University
Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Hu Yang

Hu Yang, PhD

Kern Professor and Chair, Marquette-MCW Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering; MCW Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

Locations

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • TBRC C-2855
    8701 Watertown Plank Rd.
    Milwaukee, WI 53226

Contact Information

Education

Postdoctoral fellow, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 2005
PhD, Chemical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, 2004
BE, Polymer, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, 1998
View Dr. Yang's MU-MCW Profile

Biography

Dr. Hu Yang is the Department Chair and Dr. Robert D. and Dr. Patricia E. Kern Professor in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin. He previously served as Department Chair and Linda and Bipin Doshi Endowed Chair in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Science and Technology, where he also held a joint appointment in Biological Sciences.

Dr. Yang’s research focuses on biomaterials, nanomedicine, drug and gene delivery, and translational biomedical engineering. His work has advanced the development of dendrimer-based platforms, hydrogels, nanoparticles, and ocular drug delivery systems for the treatment of glaucoma, cancer, atherosclerosis, neurological disorders, and other diseases. His laboratory integrates materials engineering, pharmaceutical sciences, and biomedical applications to design targeted and sustained-release therapeutic systems.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Yang has received more than $24 million in research support as principal investigator, co-principal investigator, or co-investigator from agencies including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and private foundations.
Dr. Yang has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and review articles, and he is an inventor on multiple issued U.S. patents related to nanogels, antiglaucoma drug delivery, and polymer-based drug delivery systems. His research contributions have been recognized by honors including the NSF CAREER Award, the Wallace Coulter Foundation Translational Research Young Investigator Award, the Qimonda Endowed Chair, the Linda and Bipin Doshi Endowed Chair, and the Dr. Robert D. and Dr. Patricia E. Kern Professorship.

He has been ranked among the top two percent of the world’s most cited scientists in biomedical engineering & pharmacology & pharmacy for career-long impact according to the Stanford University Report since 2019. Beyond research, he has served as associate editor or editorial board member for multiple biomedical engineering journals and routinely serves on study sections for NIH.

Dr. Yang directs the Drug & Gene Delivery Laboratory at the Marquette-MCW Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. His current research interests include ocular drug delivery, dendrimer-based nanomedicine, targeted drug and gene delivery, biomaterials, and translational nanoparticle platforms.

Learn more about the Drug & Gene Delivery Lab

Honors and Awards

Dr. Robert D. and Dr. Patricia E. Kern Professorship, 2025–present.
Distinguished Alumni Award, Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, 2023.
Outstanding Editorial Board Member, Research, A Science Partner Journal, 2023.
Linda and Bipin Doshi Endowed Chair, Missouri S&T, 2020–2025.
Top 2% World’s Most Cited Scientists in Biomedical Engineering & Pharmacology & Pharmacy for Career-Long Impact, Stanford University Report, since 2019.
Qimonda Endowed Chair, College of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010–2020.
National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2010.
Wallace Coulter Foundation Translational Research Young Investigator Award, 2009.
Outstanding Graduate Student Travel Award, The Society for Biomaterials, Memphis, TN, 2005.
Student Travel Award, ISPE Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV, 2001.
P&G Award for Academic Excellence, Sichuan University, 1997.
Academic Excellence Award, Sichuan University, 1995 & 1996.

Patents:
Hu Yang, Da Huang, Method for continuous fabrication of multi-functional nanogels, US Patent 11,925,705, Issued 03/12/2024.
Juan Wang, Hu Yang, An ionic liquid pilocarpine analog as antiglaucoma drug, US Patent 11,845,741, Issued 12/19/2023.
Hu Yang, Shobha Ghosh, Hongliang He, Michael Lancina, Carbohydrate-functionalized nanoparticles and uses thereof, US Patent 11,801,309, Issued 10/31/2023
Yan Zhang, Hu Yang, Dana Selley, William Dewey, Hamid Akbarali, Nanoparticle conjugated synthetic opioid prodrugs and methods of their use, US Patent 11,590,241, Issued 02/28/2023.
Hu Yang, Olga Yu. Zolotarskaya, Kenneth J. Wynne, Kristoffer Valerie, Clickable polyoxetane carrier for drug delivery, US Patent 9,421,276, Issued 08/23/2016.
-Madison, John W. Kao).

Research Interests

  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Gene Transfer Techniques
  • Nanomedicine

Publications

Publications of Hu Yang PhD from the Faculty Collaboration Database

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