Kathryn Ann Whitehead (born 1980) is an American chemical engineer who is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research considers the development of nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems for gene therapy,^[1] oral macromolecular delivery systems,^[2] and maternal and infant therapeutics.^[3] She is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2021^[4] and Fellow of the Controlled Release Society.^[5]

Whitehead is from Allentown, Pennsylvania.^[6] She earned her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering at the University of Delaware,^[6] then moved to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she studied methods to improve the oral delivery of macromolecules.^[7] Whitehead was a postdoctoral researcher at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, where she worked alongside Robert S. Langer on RNA interference therapeutics.^[8]

Whitehead's research considers the development of drug delivery systems for gene therapy.^[9] She is interested in the development of nanoparticle materials to deliver messenger RNA (mRNA) to specific cells.^[10] Targeted mRNA delivery provides physicians with a personalized strategy to treat genetic disorders.^[11] Alongside mRNA, Whitehead has studied small interfering RNA, which can be used to control gene expression.^[12] In general, mRNA promotes gene expression, whilst siRNA is used to silence over-expressed genes.^[13] She focuses on the development of delivery systems for leukocytes (including B cells) and intestinal epithelium.^[6][14] A challenge with using mRNA for therapeutic purposes is that the body often recognizes intruder mRNA and attacks it, triggering an immune response.^[13] She worked with Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman on the development of the lipid nanoparticles that enabled the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.^[15][16]

In an attempt to better design drug delivery systems, Whitehead has investigated the cellular components of breast milk.^[17][18] She is interested in whether it is possible to genetically engineer cells to treat children's allergies, or orally administer vaccines to infants.^[17]

Whitehead is passionate about science communication and improving public trust in science.^[19] In 202, she delivered a TED talk on lipid nanoparticles and how mRNA will transform biology.^[20] In 2022, Whitehead delivered the convocation address at the Carnegie Mellon University.^[21]

• Elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering^[22][23]
• DARPA Young Faculty Award^[11]
• Popular Science Brilliant Ten^[24]
• MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35^[12]
• American Society for Engineering Education Curtis W. McGraw Research Award^[25]

• Kathryn A Whitehead; Robert Langer; Daniel G Anderson (1 February 2009). "Knocking down barriers: advances in siRNA delivery". Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 8 (2): 129–138. doi:10.1038/NRD2742. ISSN 1474-1776. PMC 7097568. PMID 19180106. Wikidata Q37380671.
• Kathryn A Whitehead; J Robert Dorkin; Arturo J Vegas; et al. (27 June 2014). "Degradable lipid nanoparticles with predictable in vivo siRNA delivery activity". Nature Communications. 5: 4277. Bibcode:2014NatCo...5.4277W. doi:10.1038/NCOMMS5277. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 4111939. PMID 24969323. Wikidata Q33954008.
• Khalid A. Hajj; Kathryn A. Whitehead (12 September 2017). "Tools for translation: non-viral materials for therapeutic mRNA delivery". Nature Reviews Materials. 2 (10): 17056. doi:10.1038/NATREVMATS.2017.56. ISSN 2058-8437. Wikidata Q56057560.