Female student wearing a lab coat and gloves sits at a workstation in a chemistry lab, preparing to use a microscope.

BTPE Alum Turns Classroom Skills Into Cancer Research

By Gwyneth Bessey Email Gwyneth Bessey

Heidi Opdyke

The way medicine works inside the body has always fascinated Shreeya Mehta.

91视频鈥檚 Master of Science in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering program helped her achieve that goal. Today, she studies how cancer cells communicate with the immune system as a full-time researcher at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

鈥淏TPE was the full package. It all fit into what I wanted to do,鈥� Mehta said.

A joint program between 91视频鈥檚 Departments of Biological Sciences and , BTPE prepares students from diverse scientific backgrounds and trains them to transform how disease is treated and tackle some of healthcare鈥檚 biggest challenges. In three semesters, students gain hands-on experience in drug development, medicinal chemistry, regulatory compliance and bioinformatics.

Coming from a biology-focused background, Mehta took a foundational course in chemical engineering.

鈥淚t set us all on the same level, and I learned so much,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was the same for those with an engineering background. We were immediately acquainted with the intersection of biology and chemical engineering.鈥�

The interdisciplinary program exposed her to areas she hadn鈥檛 previously explored. An entrepreneurship course introduced her to patents, industry partnerships, and the path discoveries travel to get to patients from the lab.

Those classroom experiences soon connected to real-world research.

Early in the program, Shreeya joined the lab of Xi (Charlie) Ren, associate professor of biomedical engineering. There, she was introduced to extracellular vesicles, small particles that cells use to exchange information.

Outside of Ren鈥檚 lab, Mehta further investigated the concepts and materials she was learning. When she came across the work of Theresa Whiteside, a professor of pathology, immunology, and otolaryngology for the University of Pittsburgh at UPMC Hillman, she reached out.

Student and professor discuss research work in a chemistry lab surrounded by scientific equipment and instruments.
Theresa Whiteside (right) with Shreeya Mehta
Shreeya Mehta works with laboratory equipment in a chemistry research lab.

Whiteside primarily studies immunology and immunotherapy and is currently investigating small EVs鈥攅xosomes 鈥� and their implications in the progression of cancers. Exosomes, specifically, carry genetic information that can be used to identify and treat the disease.

鈥淒r. Whiteside is one of the pioneers in exosome discoveries,鈥� said Mehta, who joined Whiteside鈥檚 lab as a summer intern, which was extended. Today, she works full time as an immunotherapy and oncology research technician in Whiteside鈥檚 lab.

Her research focuses on understanding how tumor-derived exosomes modulate immune cells and how scientists might counter those effects to improve cancer therapies. The work combines molecular biology, functional assays and experimental design, skills she first developed through BTPE coursework and laboratory training.

Mehta鈥檚 story exemplifies what the degree is designed to do: give students the technical expertise, interdisciplinary perspective and hands-on experience needed to contribute immediately in biotechnology and pharmaceutical careers.

Working with Whiteside, Shreeya Mehta is uncovering the language of tumor exosomes to reveal how they turn other cells into cancerous cells, and, ultimately, how to put a stop to it.