Neil St. John Forbes

Neil St. John Forbes

Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Massachusetts Amherst
N525 Life Sciences Laboratories
240 Thatcher Rd
Amherst MA 01003-9364

(413) 577-0132
forbes@ecs.umass.edu
www.umass.edu/engineering/about/directory/neil-st-john-forbes

Professor of Chemical Engineering

In our research we use experimental and computational methods to understand the cellular mechanisms that give rise to drug resistance in tumors and we use engineering methods to design therapeutic strategies to overcome resistance in tumors.

Current Research
To date the major advances of our group have been:

  1. determination of the mechanisms that control the localization of therapeutic bacteria in tumors;
  2. development of therapeutic bacteria that secrete an anti-cancer protein and dramatically increase survival in mice;
  3. quantification of the effects of spatial heterogeneity on tumor metabolism, cell survival, and cell cycle progression;
  4. development of computation tools to analyze the interactions of therapeutics with tumors; and
  5. demonstration that the properties of nanoparticles can be tuned to enhance  tumor targeting.

Learn more at Forbes Research Group

Academic Background

BS Case Western Reserve University, 1994
PhD University of California at Berkeley, 2000
Postdoctoral Training: Harvard Medical School

  • Center for Bioactive Delivery 
  • Center for Personalized Health Monitoring 
  • Models to Medicine Center 
  • Proteins, Peptides & Antibodies 
  • Small Molecule Delivery & Nutraceuticals 
  • Cell Based Therapies 
  • Microbiome, Microbes & Infectious Diseases (MMID) 
  • Host Microbe Interactions 
  • Microbial Systems Engineering 
  • Engineered Models and Mechanisms in Cancer (EM2C) 
  • Organ Mimics 
  • Biomarkers, Diagnostics & Risk Assessment 
  • Metabolism and Cancer