Marta Overchuk, PhD

Dr. Overchuk’s research operates at the intersection of translational cancer photomedicine, lipid metabolism and nanotechnology. She looks forward to combining our department’s established leadership in drug delivery with the exceptionally strong campus-wide expertise in metabolism.

Dr. Overchuk earned her B.S. with honors in biology from the Department of Biochemistry, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (Ukraine), where her passion for biophotonics first took root. She went on to complete her PhD in biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto (Canada) under the mentorship of Professor Gang Zheng, a renowned expert in photoactive nanomedicine, and Professor Brian Wilson, a pioneer in biophotonics. Driven to advance light-based cancer therapies, she joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022 as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Imran Rizvi, carving out a niche focused on photodynamic therapy, cancer lipid and redox homeostasis.

Dr. Overchuk is a recipient of an NIH-NCI K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, and several other scholarships and awards including a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the American Cancer Society, a Carolina Cancer Nanotech Pilot Grant, a Postdoctoral Award for Research Excellence (PARE) awarded to the top 5 postdoctoral fellows at UNC, ACS Editors' Choice Article, and Women in Molecular Imaging Award. Having authored or co-authored over 30 publications, Dr. Overchuk also brings strong teaching experience from BME programs alongside advanced training in academic leadership and mentorship.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Dr. Overchuk’s laboratory engineers light-activated theranostics that deploy localized reactive oxygen species (ROS) bursts to combat cancer drug resistance. By integrating photochemistry-based therapies, such as photodynamic priming, with biomimetic nanomedicine and mechanistic insights into tumor lipid metabolism, we develop translational strategies to restore therapeutic sensitivity and improve treatment efficacy in the most stubborn, refractory cancers.

1. Photodynamic Priming (PDP)
   Cancer cells adapt to therapeutic stress by rewiring signaling and metabolic pathways, ultimately acquiring treatment resistance. PDP is an emerging photochemistry-based strategy that uses light and non-toxic photosensitizers to generate ROS and re-sensitize tumor cells to complementary therapies. By integrating photochemistry with conventional and emerging treatments, we aim to enhance therapeutic efficacy, mitigate systemic toxicities, and translate initial responses into durable cures.
2. Biomimetic Nanomedicine 
   Leveraging cancer's appetite for lipids, we engineer synthetic lipoprotein nanoplatforms. These "Trojan horse" carriers cross barriers to deliver photosensitizers, bioactive lipids, and metabolic modulators directly to tumor cells with high metabolic demand.
    

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