Research

 1.Develop biocompatible contrast agents for Magnetic Particles Imaging (MPI) 

Introduced in 2005 by Gleich and Weozemecker, magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a novel and promising imaging modality because it can generate positive contrast signals from magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) without ionizing radiation. MPI has unlimited tissue penetration depth, low background signals, and high sensitivity. Nevertheless, MPI is currently only available for pre-clinical studies. One major obstacle inhibiting MPI from becoming an effective, clinically available imaging modality arises from a lack of MPI-specific MNPs as tracers. High-performance MNPs are critical to materialize MPI’s potential in clinical translation. 

A typical MPI imaging using nanomaterials from my lab is shown in the following figure. The imaging demonstrates the potential of MPI for functional imaging compared to MRI which is for structural imaging. 

2. Design and synthesis of nanoparticles to treat cancer 

To date, systemic therapy is a common approach to treat many diseases, including cancer in advanced stages. However, systemic toxicity is a major drawback, limiting the utility and effectiveness of such therapies. Recent research efforts in the development of drug delivery systems have concentrated on targeted delivery and controlled release of drugs in order to increase their therapeutic efficacy. In addition, nanoparticle can be used for photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), and hyperthermia.

3. Green Synthesis of multifunctional biomaterials platform for imaging-guided therapy including immunotherapy

The multifunctional properties of nanoparticles provide unique advantages for the specific delivery of imaging and therapeutic agents. Various components with targeting, imaging, diagnostic and therapeutic capacities can be incorporated across the large surface area of a single nanoparticle. Compared to small molecules, nanomaterials can convey three benefits: a) Multivalent targeting significantly increases the binding affinity of the nanoparticles toward a target cell; b) Nanoparticles increase the blood circulation time by avoiding renal excretion; and c) Nanoparticles tend to accumulate in tumor tissue much more than they do in normal tissues through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect.