Qiao Group Honours Projects

 Supervisor Dr Ruirui Qiao

Inspired by natural activatable molecules, “smart” nanohybrid materials that are responsive to endogenous or exogenous stimuli, and interact with or are actuated by them, have brought extensive attentions for development of next generation imaging agents or carriers. This project aims to develop advanced inorganic/organic nanohybrids; and such nanohybrids are expected to have tailored physicochemical properties and can intelligently respond to remote triggers for the controlled delivery of therapeutic agents (drugs, siRNA etc.) for the treatment of brain cancer.

 Supervisor Dr Ruirui Qiao

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to severe cognitive decline. Alzheimer’s can develop in adults at any time, although onset is most associated with people over the age of 65. A full picture of what causes Alzheimer’s pathogenesis is still to be determined and as it stands, there is no definitive cure. Therefore, the development of more sophisticated clinically replicative in vitro test models of Alzheimer’s disease for the examination of new therapies that can inhibit, slow down disease progression, or readily complement existing treatment regimens are paramount. For this project, you will build a 3D brain organoid model encompassing Alzheimer’s disease effected neuronal cells. The aims of the project will be to characterise the effect of disease progression and investigate how this affects the architecture of the organoid brain model over time. The information obtained from this project will help to determine whether these organoids are a highly realistic in vitro model of Alzheimer’s disease and if they can be used as a test platform for future Alzheimer’s specific nanoparticle led treatments strategies.

 Supervisor Dr Ruirui Qiao, Professor Thomas P. David and Dr Meihua Luo

Live cell imaging allows the visualisation of cellular process in real time. Imaging of cell trafficking will provide critical information regarding the cell fate and functions in a highly dynamic biological process. Ideally, single-cell would be tracked continuously and quantitatively from live to dead, which is a grand challenge in biological research ranging from tissue regeneration to gene- and cell-based therapeutic agents. Thus, the development of single-cell imaging and tracking tools is critically demanded to solve decades-long controversies regarding to dynamic molecular processes and mechanisms in cell processes. This project aims to develop a bio-inspired magnetic nanotracer for effective cell labelling and single cell tracking using molecular imaging techniques.

Soft robots and actuators are a type of device composed of functional soft materials that can respond to various external stimuli, including electric, magnetic, thermal, and pneumatic forces, to generate movement. They are particularly well-suited for use in soft robotics, wearable sensors, and biomedical devices, where traditional actuators may be too rigid, bulky, or not adaptable enough.

This project aims to develop highly controllable and integrated soft actuators enabled by 3D-printed nanoparticle-polymer composites that can be readily adopted in various biomedical platforms. This approach aims to simplify the design and manufacturing of soft actuators while enabling precise and repeatable movements, potentially facilitating their use in a broader range of biomedical applications.