Lao honored with UB Exceptional Scholar − Young Investigator Award

This faculty award honors exceptional scholarship by early-career investigators at UB and recognizes recipients as emerging leaders driving innovation in their fields.

Lao was recognized with the award for the therapeutic impact of his scholarship and research program, which has established him as an emerging leader in the fields of gene and drug delivery and pharmaceutical bioengineering.

“I am truly honored and humbled by this recognition,” says Lao. “I have been fortunate to have opportunities working with a group of awesome people who always inspire me and believe in me. I always feel lucky in meeting many great mentors in different stages of my career, especially Dr. Kam Leong and Dr. Alex Chavez, who have been supporting me professionally and personally.” 

Since joining UB SPPS in 2022, Lao rapidly established a highly innovative and productive research program focused on advancing CRISPR gene editing technologies, developing approaches to improve drug and gene delivery, and designing microphysiological systems to model disease dynamics. Working at the intersection of pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical engineering, his research seeks to leverage bioengineering approaches to better understand the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders and brain tumors as well as to rationally design new gene editing therapeutics for treating these intractable diseases.

“Over the past four years, the intellectually stimulating environment at UB SPPS and within the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences has helped me catalyze many meaningful collaborations and has led to new research endeavors in the lab. I am blessed to be part of this family and grateful for all the guidance and support from Dr. Mager and my senior colleagues, Dr. Straubinger, Dr. Balu-Iyer and Dr. Wang, within my division. All of this motivates me to work harder, striving toward my goals.”

His research has been supported by seven competitive research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), State University of New York (SUNY), American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT), and the UB Center for Protein Therapeutics. He has demonstrated exceptional scholarship as an early-career scientist, authoring more than 50 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals and securing five granted or pending patents.

Lao's contributions have also earned him significant recognition within the scientific community. In 2021, he received the Career Development Award from ASGCT. In 2025, he was appointed to the Early Career Board of Nano Letters, the American Chemical Society's leading nanotechnology journal, where he serves as co-chair of the Americas regional group for the 2025-26 term. He has been consistently invited to serve on review panels for the NIH, Department of Defense-Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, the National Science Foundation and non-profit societies. His expertise has also been recognized through more than 25 invited talks, guest lectures and presentations at peer institutions, workshops and conferences.

“In my role as dean, I have the opportunity to observe and evaluate the work of many talented early-career faculty members across the pharmaceutical sciences, and it is clear that Dr. Lao stands out for the originality, productivity, and impact of his research program,” says Gary M. Pollack, PhD, dean, UB SPPS. “Few early-career investigators have established a research program with the combination of innovation, productivity, national visibility and potential for therapeutic impact that Dr. Lao has achieved in a short period of time.”