Graduate Student
Oregon Health & Science University
Michael I. Henderson is a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering at OHSU's Knight Cancer Institute, where he is a member of the CEDAR center. He earned his bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Carroll College before gaining valuable research experience as a research assistant under the guidance of Dr. Gaurav Sahay at Oregon State University. There, he focused on gene delivery using lipid nanoparticles.
Throughout his career, Michael has gained experience in a variety of areas, including chemical synthesis for clean energy storage, non-viral therapeutics for cystic fibrosis, cold storage of mRNA vaccines, and mRNA nanoparticle delivery to the eye. His current work at OHSU is under the co-mentorship of Dr. Stuart Ibsen and Dr. Adem Yildirim, where he aims to enrich liquid biopsy with responsive nanoparticles and mitigate adverse events of immunotherapies using non-invasive stimuli.
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Michael's love for the Pacific Northwest has influenced his passions beyond his studies, which have led to pursuits in photography, mountaineering, and health outreach locally and on an international level.