Department of Chemical Engineering

Office:  350N CB

Office Phone:  801-422-2589

Email:  pitt@byu.edu

Education

Ph.D. at Univeristy of Wisconsin -Madison, studying protein adsorption on polymers. Sabbatical at University of Minnesota, locating and sequencing the DNA A gene in Streptococcus mutans.

Research Interests

Synthesis of polymeric drug carriers that will sequester a drug until the precise time and place of delivery.  The objective is to use low frequency ultrasound to release the drug from the carrier.  Preliminary studies have delivered DOX and Ruboxyl, a paramagnetic derivative of DOX.

Student Involvement/ Requirements

I currently train 6 undergraduate students in my lab.  I take undergraduates usually after their junior year.  Students must meet the following requirements in order to be considered for research work in my lab:

            1.)  Micro 365 or equivalent in Zoology or Cell Biology             

Good grades, enthusiasm, and interest make the student a more attractive candidate.  Students generally work in my lab for at least 18 months.  They primarily work with graduate students and myself.  The work is publication oriented and undergraduates do appear on publications.  The research is funded by the NIH and the BYU Cancer Research Center.

Recent Publications

Munshi N, Rapoport N, Pitt WG (1997): Ultrasonic activated drug delivery from Pluronic P-105 micelles. Cancer Letters 118:13-19.

Department of Chemical Engineering