Destin Heilman

One of the most fulfilling things a teacher can experience is a transfer of one's excitement and passion for a topic to a student. That obvious impact is one of the many reasons that I very much enjoy teaching. At WPI, the seven-week terms keep things changing and allow me to interact with many students throughout the year. The balance between lecture and lab in the WPI curriculum allows me to cater the theoretical concepts that I present, such that the laboratories are a natural extension of what we've covered.

The students at WPI are fantastic. They have amazing aptitude and often pose challenging questions and share fascinating insights that keep me on my toes. Our undergraduates are a focused, determined, and hardworking bunch, turning out very productive projects in their senior research. My research is driven by such undergrads. My laboratory focuses on the biochemistry of a small group of animal viruses that produce proteins able to selectively destroy cancer cells. These proteins demonstrate remarkable sensitivity to many different types of cancer and may unlock new avenues for cancer treatment. I am thrilled by the wonders of what many viruses have evolved to manipulate inside of their host cells. Many strategies for disease research involve synthetic approaches and large-scale screening for preferable activities, but the possibly of nature having evolved and refined such activities already thrills me most of all!

Courses Taught:

CH1030 - Equilibrium

CH2640 - Experimental Chemistry I

CH4110 - Biochemistry I

CH4130 - Biochemistry III

CH4150 - Experimental Biochemistry I

CH4170 - Experimental Biochemistry II