Paloma H. Giangrande

Dr. Paloma Giangrande is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at The University of Iowa and an internationally recognized expert in drug design and delivery. She obtained her PhD in Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University in 1999. Her first postdoct position was in Genetics under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Nevins, where she elucidated the roles of E2F transcription factors in cell cycle control. In 2004, she became interested in translational research and joined Dr. Bruce Sullenger’s lab in the Department of Surgery at Duke where she focused on developing RNA aptamers for targeted therapies. In 2007 she was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa. She was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine in 2013. Dr. Giangrande’s research focuses on elucidating mechanisms of deregulated cell growth and survival and applying this knowledge to develop cell-targeted therapies (“smart drugs”) with improved efficacy and safety profiles over current drugs in the clinic. The technology she developed and pioneered employs RNA bio-drugs that deliver potent drug payloads to diseased cells for treating diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and critical illness.