Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Faculty

Wilson S. Meng, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences 413 Mellon T 412.396.6366 F 412.296.4660 meng@duq.edu

Educational and Professional Background

B.S. (Pharmacy), University of Maryland at Baltimore
Ph.D. (Pharmaceutical Sciences), University of Southern California
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UCLA School of Medicine
Visiting Scholar, Molecular Biosensor and imaging Center, Carnegie Mellon University

Areas of Research

Development and characterization of polymeric systems for delivering nucleic acids and recombinant proteins to modulate immune functions Active Grant Support

• NIH NIAID (R15 AI081218): “Non-Viral Genetic Modification of Antigen-Presenting Cells in Allografts” PI: WS Meng. 12/1/2010-11/30/2013. Total cost awarded: $357,100

Courses Taught

Professional pharmacy:

• Human Physiology and Pathology I: Inflammation and Neoplasm
• Human Physiology and Pathology II: Hematology and Immunology (Coursemaster)
• Biomedical Science and Therapeutics: Anticancer and Transplant Pharmacology
• Pharmaceutical Principles & Drug Delivery Systems: Biologics

Graduate:

• Advanced Pharmaceutics: Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Coursemaster)
• Formulation and Development
• Advanced Pharmacology (Coursemaster)
• Drug Mechanisms and Actions
• Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology

Honors and Awards

• 2005-2006 Apple Polishing Award for Excellence in Faculty Performance,Duquesne University
• 2004 Excellence in Teaching Award, Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Duquesne University
• 2003 Young Investigator Award, Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Duquesne University
• Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society (inducted in 1990, Maryland chapter)

Recent invited presentations

• Polycation Coated Polymeric Particles as Vehicles of RNA Delivery into Immune Cells. American Society of Mechanical Engineers SMASIS Conference, Philadelphia, September 29, 2010
• Drug Delivery Strategies in Immunology. Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, June 4, 2010
• A DNA Delivery Platform for Modulation of Dendritic Cells. University of Pittsburgh McGowan Institute Retreat , Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, PA, March 10, 2010
• Drug Delivery Strategies in Immunology. Division of Immunogenetics, Children Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, December 13, 2009
• Nanoparticles as nucleic acids carriers. American Society of Mechanical Engineers SMASIS Conference, Ellicott City, MD, October 29, 2008

Publications

• Zheng, Y., Wen, Y., George, A.M., Steinbach, A.M., Philips, B.E., Giannoukakis, N., Gawalt, E.S. and Meng, W.S. 2011. A Peptide-Based Material Platform for Displaying Antibodies to Engage T Cells. Biomaterials, 32, 249-257.
• Freeman, E., Weiland, L.M. and Meng, W.S. 2010. Application of Proteins in Burst Delivery Systems. Smart Materials and Structures. 19, 94015-94024.
• Kovacs, J.R., Tidball, J., Ross, A., Jia, L., Zheng, Y., Gawalt, E.S. and Meng, W.S. 2009. “Characterization of Nickel-Decorated Particles Anchored with a His-tagged Polycation.” Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition, 20(9): 1307-1320.
• Jia, L, Kovacs, J.R., Zheng, Y., Shen, H., Gawalt, E.S. and Meng, W.S* 2008. "Expansion of Foxp3-expressing Regulatory T Cells in vitro from Dendritic Cells Engineered with Polymeric Particles Carrying Plasmid Encoding Interleukin-10." Biomaterials, 29(9):1250-61.
• Zheng, Y., Kovacs, J.R., Gawalt, E.S., Shen, H., and Meng, W.S.* 2006. “Characterization of Particles Fabricated with Poly (D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) and an Ornithine-Histidine Peptide as Carriers of Oligodeoxynucleotide for Delivery into Primary Dendritic Cells” Journal of Biomaterials Science,
  Polymer Edition, 17(12): 1389-1403.
• Joseph, M.A., Mitchell, L.M., Evanseck, J.D., Kovacs, J.R., Jia, L., Shen, H., and Meng, W.S.* 2007 “Secondary Anchor Substitutions in a HLA-A*0201-Restricted T Cell Epitope Derived from Her-2/neu” Molecular Immunology, 44(4):322-31.
• Jia, L., Kovacs, J.R., Zheng, Y., Gawalt, E.S., Shen, H., and Meng, W.S.* 2006. "Attenuated Alloreactivity of Dendritic Cells Engineered with Surface-Modified Microspheres Carrying a Plasmid Encoding Interleukin-10." Biomaterials, 27(9):2076-2082.
• Meng, W.S.*and Butterfield, L.H. 2005. "Activation of Antigen-Presenting Cells by DNA Delivery Vectors." (Review) Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 5(8), 1019-1028.
• Kovacs, J.R., Zheng, Y., Shen, H., and Meng, W.S*. 2005. "Polymeric Microspheres as Stabilizing Anchors for Oligonucleotide Delivery to Dendritic Cells." Biomaterials, 26(33), 6754-61.
• Liao, Y-P., Wang, C-C., Butterfield, L.H., Economou, J.S., Ribas, A., Meng, W.S., Iwamoto, K.S., and McBride, W.H. 2004. Ionizing Radiation Affects Human MART-1 Melanoma Antigen Processing and Presentation by Dendritic Cells. Journal of Immunology (173), 2462-2469.
• Chamarthy, S.P., Jia, L., Kovacs, J.R., Anderson, K.R., Shen, H., Firestine, S.M., and Meng, W.S*. 2004. Gene Delivery to Dendritic Cells Facilitated by a Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-Competing Peptide. Molecular Immunology, 41 (8), 741-749.
• Butterfield, L.H., Ribas, A. Meng, W.S., Dissette, V.B., Amarnani, S. Vu, H.T., Seja, E., Todd, K., Glaspy, J.A., McBride W.H. and Economou, J.S. 2003. T Cell Responses To HLA-A*0201 Immunodominant Peptides Derived From Alpha Fetoprotein in Patients with Hepatocellular Cancer. Clinical Cancer Research, 9(16), 5902-5908.
• Chamarthy, S.P., Kovacs, J.R., Gattens, D., McClelland, E., and Meng, W.S*. 2003. A Cationic Peptide Consists of Ornithine and Histidine Repeats Augments Gene Transfer in Dendritic Cells. Molecular Immunology, 40 (8), 479-486.
• Meng, W.S. and Butterfield, L.H. 2002. Rational Design of Peptide-Based Tumor Vaccine (Review). Pharmaceutical Research. 19 (7): 926-932.
• Meng, W.S., Butterfield, L.H., Ribas, A., Dissette, V., Heller, J.B., Miranda, G.A., Glaspy, J.A., McBride, W.H. and Economou, J.S. 2001. Alpha Fetoprotein-Specific Tumor Immunity Induced by Plasmid Prime-Adenovirus Boost Genetic Vaccination. Cancer Research, 61 (24): 8782.
• Ribas, A., Butterfield, L.H., Amarnani, S., Dissette, V.B., Kim, D., Meng, W.S., Miranda, G.A., Wang, H-J., McBride, W.H., Glaspy, J.A., and Economou, J.S. 2001. CD40L Crosslinking Bypasses the Absolute Requirement for CD4 Cells During Immunization with Melanoma Antigen Gene-Modified Dendritic Cells. Cancer Research. 61 (24):8787.
• Meng, W.S., Butterfield, L.H., Ribas, A., Heller, J.B., Dissette, V., Glaspy, J.A., McBride, W.H. and Economou, J.S. 2001. Fine specificity analysis of an HLA-A*0201-restricted immunodominant peptide derived from human alpha-fetoprotein. Molecular Immunology, 2001. vol. 37, 943-950.
• Butterfield, L.H., Meng, W.S., Koh, A., Vollmer, C.M., Ribas, A., Dissette, V., Lee, E., Faull, K., Glaspy, J.A., McBride, W.H. and Economou, J.S. 2001. Generation of human T-cell responses to strong binding HLA-A2.1-restricted peptide epitopes derived from alpha-fetoprotein. Journal of Immunology, vol. 166, 5300-5309.
• Meng, W.S., von Grafenstein, H., and Haworth, I.S. 2000. Water Dynamics at the interface of four different MHC-peptide complexes. International Immunology, vol. 12, no. 7, 949-957.
• Meng, W.S., Bui, H-H., and Haworth, I.S. 2000. Exploiting the Peptide-MHC Water Interface in the Computer-Aided Design of Non-Natural Peptides that Bind to the Class I MHC Molecule HLA-A2. Molecular Simulation, vol. 24, 215-228.
• Ribas, A., Butterfield, L.H., Hu, B, Dissette, V.B., Meng, W.S., Koh, A., Andrews, K.J., Lee, M., Amar, S.N., Glaspy, J.A., McBride, W.H., and Economou, J.S. 2000. Immune deviation and Fas-mediated deletion limit antitumor activity after multiple dendritic cell vaccinations in mice. Cancer Research, vol. 60, n.8: 2218-2224.
• Gurlo, T., Meng, W.S., Bui, H-H., Haworth, I.S. and von Grafenstein, H. 1999. Experimental Evidence for the Presence of a Water Network at the Peptide-MHC Interface. Immunology Letters, vol. 70:139-41.
• Butterfield, L.H., Koh, A., Meng, W., Vollmer, C.M., Ribas, A., Dissette, V., Lee, E., Glaspy, J.A., McBride, W.H. and Economou, J.S. 1999. Generation of human T-cell responses to an HLA-A2.1-restricted peptide epitope derived from alpha-Fetoprotein. Cancer Research, vol.59, n.13: 3134-3142.
• Meng, W.S., Bhavaraju, A.V., Haworth, I.S. and von Grafenstein, H. Modeling of the Non-Obese Diabetic Mouse Class II MHC Molecule I-Ag7. 1998. Protein and Peptide Letters, vol. 5, No. 2, 75-82.
• Meng W.S., von Grafenstein, H. and Haworth, I.S. 1997. A Model of Water Structure Inside the HLA-A2 Peptide Binding Groove. International Immunology, vol 9, No. 9, 1339-1346.
• Meng W.S., Gallaher, T.K., von Grafenstein, H. and Haworth, I.S. 1996. Sequence Dependent Conformational Motion of a Peptide Bound to a Class I MHC Molecule. Protein and Peptide Letters, vol. 3, No. 1, 51-58.