Brianna Vickerman Featured on 97.9 The Hill WCHL for Groundbreaking Cancer Research
- Jun 11
- 2 min read
Dr. Brianna Vickerman Discusses Light-Activated Drug Delivery Platform with Aaron Keck
Chapel Hill, NC, June 10, 2026
Dr. Brianna Vickerman, founder of Covalt Bio and assistant professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, was featured on This Morning with Aaron Keck on 97.9 The Hill WCHL, Chapel Hill-Carrboro's premier local news radio station. The interview highlighted her pioneering research in light-activated drug delivery — a platform designed to activate cancer-fighting drugs only at diseased tissue, dramatically improving treatment precision while minimizing systemic side effects .
During the segment, Vickerman discussed her technology's potential to fundamentally change how cancer and other diseases are treated. By triggering therapeutics with light only at the target site, the platform offers physicians unprecedented control over the location, timing, and dosage of a cancer therapeutic — a capability that could significantly reduce the systemic toxicity associated with conventional chemotherapy.
Vickerman recently received a grant from NC Innovation in support of this work, which was developed during her doctoral research at UNC Chapel Hill. The technology underpins Covalt Bio, the biotechnology company she launched to translate this discovery into real-world clinical impact.
“Our goal has always been to translate scientific discovery into real-world impact —helping patients receive safer, more effective treatments.”
The full interview is available to listen on Chapelboro.com and on Spotify via the This Morning with Aaron Keck podcast feed.
ABOUT COVALT BIO
Covalt Bio is a biotechnology company developing innovative drug delivery technologies that improve patient outcomes by maximizing efficacy and minimizing side effects. Through its proprietary light-activated platform, the company aims to enable safer, more targeted therapies across a broad range of diseases.
Media Contact
Logan Zwerneman, PhD
