Chang Wang

Assistant Professor

Email: chang.wang@ou.edu
Phone: (405) 325-4038
Office: GLG 418

Education
Ph.D. Chemistry
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, United States
B.S. Pharmaceutical Sciences
Tianjin University, Tianjin, China

Research Focus

The Wang Research Lab, based in the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, is dedicated to the rational design of next-generation drug delivery systems that enable the precise and efficient delivery of therapeutics across complex biological barriers. Our interdisciplinary research integrates principles from bioengineering, nanotechnology, and genetic medicine to address unmet challenges in human health, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and inherited genetic conditions. Current research directions include:

Biomaterials such as lipid nanoparticles for overcoming biological barriers and enabling targeted delivery of nucleic acids, proteins and small molecules
Immune cell engineering for advanced immunotherapy through non-viral gene delivery and synthetic biology approaches
Development of bifunctional molecules for targeted degradation of disease-related biomacromolecules

Selected Publications

Wang, C., Xue, Y., Markovic, T., Li, H., Wang, S., Zhong, Y., Du, S., Zhang, Y., Hou, X, Yu, Y., Liu, Z., Tian, M., Kang, D. D., Wang, L., Guo, K., Cao, D., Yan, J., Deng, B., McComb, D. W., Parsons, R. E., Minier-Toribio, A. M., Holt, L. M., Pan, J., Hashemi, A., Kopell, B. H., Charney, A. W., Nestler, E. J., Peng, P., Dong, Y. Blood-brain barrier-crossing lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery to the central nervous system. Nat. Mater. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-02114-5
Wang, C., Wang, S., Xue, Y., Zhong, Y., Li, H., Hou, X, Yu, Y., Kang, D. D., Liu, Z., Tian, M., Wang, L., Cao, D., Yu, Y., Liu, J., Cheng, X., Markovic, T., Hashemi, A., Kopell, B. H., Charney, A. W., Nestler, E. J., Dong, Y. Intravenous administration of blood-brain barrier crossing conjugates facilitate biomacromolecules transport into central nervous system. Nat. Biotechnol. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-024-02487-7
Wang, C., Zhang, Y., Dong, Y. Lipid nanoparticle–mRNA formulations for therapeutic applications. Acc. Chem. Res. 2021, 54, 4283.
Wang, C., Yu, Y., Regen, S. L. Lipid raft formation: key role of polyunsaturated phospholipids. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 1639.
Wang, C., Krause, M. R., Regen, S. L. Push and pull forces in lipid raft formation: the push can be as important as the pull. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 664.