Kam Leong

Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Professor Leong's research interest focuses on biomaterials design, particularly on synthesis of nanoparticles for DNA-based therapeutics, and nanostructured biomaterials for regenerative medicine

Biomaterials Design:

• design of self-assembled fibers for tissue engineering
• microfluidics-mediated synthesis of multifunctional nanoparticles for drug and gene delivery
• synthesis of novel quantum dots for biomedical applications

Controlled Drug and Gene Delivery:

• oral gene delivery for hemophilia A and B
• non-viral gene delivery to the GI tract
• oral delivery of antigen genes for vaccination

Tissue Engineering:

• study of response of stem cells to nanotopographical cues
• expansion of hematopoietic stem cells
• nerve guidance channels with drug and gene delivery functions
• microencapsulation of stem cells and genetically-engineered cells
• development of bioartificial nucleus pulposus device
• study of interaction of stem cells with synthetic nanostructured biomaterials

Appointments and Affiliations

Contact Information

• Office Location: 1395 CIEMAS, Durham, NC 27708
• Office Phone: (919) 660-8466
• Email Address: kam.leong@duke.edu
• Websites:
  • http://www.leonglab.pratt.duke.edu/

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

• Clemson Award for Applied Research. Society for Biomaterials. 2012
• Fellows. American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. 1999

In the News

• Pratt's Kam Leong Named Fellow of National Academy of Inventors (Dec 12, 2013)

Representative Publications

• Wang, H-X; Li, M; Lee, CM; Chakraborty, S; Kim, H-W; Bao, G; Leong, KW, CRISPR/Cas9-Based Genome Editing for Disease Modeling and Therapy: Challenges and Opportunities for Nonviral Delivery., Chemical Reviews, vol 117 no. 15 (2017), pp. 9874-9906 [10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00799] [abs].
• Zhang, J; Li, J; Shi, Z; Yang, Y; Xie, X; Lee, SM; Wang, Y; Leong, KW; Chen, M, pH-sensitive polymeric nanoparticles for co-delivery of doxorubicin and curcumin to treat cancer via enhanced pro-apoptotic and anti-angiogenic activities, Acta Biomaterialia (2017) [10.1016/j.actbio.2017.04.029] [abs].
• Lu, M; Ozcelik, A; Grigsby, CL; Zhao, Y; Guo, F; Leong, KW; Huang, TJ, Microfluidic hydrodynamic focusing for synthesis of nanomaterials, Nano Today, vol 11 no. 6 (2016), pp. 778-792 [10.1016/j.nantod.2016.10.006] [abs].
• Jackman, JG; Juwarker, H; Poveromo, LP; Levinson, H; Leong, KW; Sullenger, BA, Polycationic Nanofibers for Nucleic Acid Scavenging., Biomacromolecules, vol 17 no. 11 (2016), pp. 3706-3713 [10.1021/acs.biomac.6b01236] [abs].
• Wang, S; Xu, Y; Chan, HF; Kim, H-W; Wang, Y; Leong, KW; Chen, M, Nanoparticle-mediated inhibition of survivin to overcome drug resistance in cancer therapy, Journal of Controlled Release, vol 240 (2016), pp. 454-464 [10.1016/j.jconrel.2016.04.018] [abs].