Nano-biotechnology & Nano-medicine is a rapidly advancing interdisciplinary field that bridges physical sciences with biology and medicine via chemistry tools. The nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine laboratories in FUNSOM have been exploiting cutting edge chemical,   material and  biotechnologies to develop novel functional nanobiomaterials with excellent biocompatibility and unique optical/electrical/magnetic properties for applications in biological and biomedical research.  

Research directions:

1. Nanosensor and Nanoprobe Systems for Bioanalysis and Detection: 

In personalized medicine, it is critical to develop techniques enabling early diagnosis of tumors and other serious diseases, thus requiring highly sensitive and robust methods of analysis and detection. We have been working on integrated nanosensor and nanoprobe with functional nanomaterials for synergistic enhancement in analysis and detection in a variety of bioanalytical assays.

2. Multimodality Molecular Imaging: 

Nanomaterials are playing a significant role in multimodal and multifunctional molecular imaging. We are developing functional nanomaterial as multimodalityimaging agents to monitor fundamental cellular/molecular events in living subjects (e.g., quantum dots and silicon nanospheres) and therefore providing new materials and methods for research in molecular and cellular biology.

3. Nano-platforms and Drug Delivery System: 

Developing novel biomaterial systems and construct smart delivery vehicles for drug delivery, such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and so on, attempting to achieve targeted, controlled, and effective delivery of these drug cargoes. Investigation novel strategies towards the treatment of cancer and inflammation by utilizing biomaterials based delivery systems.

4. Biomaterials and Cancer Immunotherapy: 

Immunotherapy is a treatment that harnesses the power of a patient’s own immune system to fight disease. Our goal is to develop functional biomaterials and biomaterial-based approaches for immunomodulatory therapies for cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders and age-related disease. Aims to precisely control the immune responses using biomaterial engineering approaches to develop a number of promising novel strategies in immunotherapies.

5. Interactions of Nanomaterials and Biological Systems: 

Revealing the mechanisms and interactions between nanomaterials and biological molecules, cells, as well as biological systems. Carrying out biosafety assessment of primary biomedical nanomaterials in vitro and in vivo systematically.

Editor: Danting Xiang