Nisita Dutta, M.S.E.

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Nisita received her Bachelors and Masters of Science in Engineering degrees at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in the Department of Chemical Engineering in 2019 and 2020. At JHU, she performed scientific research in the labs of Dr. Rebecca Schulman working with DNA nanotechnology systems and Dr. Marc Ostermeier investigating collateral fitness effects of protein mutations. Additionally, she participated in a summer internship at the NIH working under Dr. Bradford Wood to measure drug release rate from embolic beads used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma. As she finished her Master’s degree, Nisita applied and was accepted to the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program to continue her education further with a joint MD/PhD degree. She attended medical school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and has since completed her preclinical years. In 2022, she was awarded the Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue her PhD research at the University of Cambridge. During her PhD, Nisita has been spearheading a collaborative project in the labs of Prof Gonçalo Bernardes and Dr. Mitchell Ho to create nanobody-drug conjugates that target the mesothelin protein to treat pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. In the future, Nisita hopes to lead her own research group in an industry or academic environment while continuing her interests outside of the lab which include singing, doing triathlons, traveling, and teaching.

Areas of Expertise