Qiao Group Honours Projects

 Supervisor Dr Ruirui Qiao and Dr Liwen Zhang

In this research, we develop innovative 3D and 4D printing techniques to fabricate polymer/nanoparticle composites tailored for soft robotics applications. Under the supervision of Dr. Ruirui Qiao and Dr. Liwen Zhang, our focus is on synthesizing polymer-grafted magnetic nanoparticles within 3D printing resins, achieving high loading capacities and excellent dispersity. These composites are uniquely engineered to dynamically respond to magnetic fields and light irradiation, facilitating programmed actuation in soft robotic systems. Our ultimate goal is to create next-generation soft robots that exhibit rapid response times and versatile locomotion capabilities. This research not only advances the capabilities of composite materials but also broadens the scope of soft robotics applications in complex, real-world scenarios.

 Supervisor Dr Ruirui Qiao and Dr Liwen Zhang

Under the guidance of Dr. Ruirui Qiao and Dr. Liwen Zhang, this project explores the development of 3D-printed hydrogels with embedded antibacterial properties, designed for medical applications. Our study emphasizes the synthesis of hydrogels incorporating nanoparticles and bioactive agents that exhibit potent antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of pathogens. 3D printing techniques allow to manufacture of hydrogels with precise geometrical configurations, enhancing their functional efficacy in wound healing and infection prevention. This innovative approach not only improves the therapeutic outcomes of hydrogel-based dressings but also contributes to the field of antimicrobial biomaterials, offering a promising solution for combating infections in clinical settings.

 Supervisor Dr Ruirui Qiao and Dr Helen Forgham

Brain cancer has extremely low survival rates. The major challenge to effective brain cancer treatment is identifying therapeutics that successfully cross the highly regulated blood–brain barrier and target aberrant cellular processes. Nanoparticles can be developed to perform the role of a Trajan horse to trick the blood–brain barrier into allowing access to the brain. Nanoparticle delivery has opened the door to a new generation of promising gene therapies with the potential to revolutionise the treatment of brain cancer, effectively regulating expression of genes that directly impact tumour development and metastasis. Our chemistry programme will focus on the development and physicochemical characterisations of iron oxide-polymer nanoparticles as dual therapeutic/diagnostic (theranostic) nanoparticles capable of working as an image contrast agent for MRI molecular imaging and delivery vehicle for gene therapies across the blood-brain barrier and into cancer cells.

 Supervisor Dr Ruirui Qiao and Dr Helen Forgham

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) CAR-T and CAR-natural killer cells identify specific tumour ligands resulting in programmed cancer cell death. Nanoparticle-based CAR therapy is a newer, innovative immunotherapy approach for all cancers, capable of intensifying T-cell-mediated and natural killer adaptive immune responses. The use of nanoparticles offers an improvement to conventional CAR-T and CAR-natural killer therapy because the nanoparticles can provide additional targeting ability towards cancer cells and simultaneously be used as a drug carrier and/or imaging agent. Our chemistry programme will focus on the development and physicochemical characterisations of iron oxide-polymer nanoparticles as delivery vehicles of genetic material that delivers CAR and other target ligands to T and natural killer cells, thus priming them to become the most efficient cancer killing machines in the body. Additionally, the use of iron oxide means we will also be able to use them as MRI contrast agents to measure affected in vivo.

 Supervisor Dr Ruirui Qiao and Dr Helen Forgham

Brain cancer has extremely low survival rates. The major challenge to effective brain cancer treatment is identifying therapeutics that successfully cross the highly regulated blood–brain barrier and target aberrant cellular processes. Nanoparticles can be developed to perform the role of a Trajan horse to trick the blood–brain barrier into allowing access to the brain. Nanoparticle delivery has opened the door to a new generation of promising gene therapies with the potential to revolutionise the treatment of brain cancer, effectively regulating expression of genes that directly impact tumour development and metastasis. Our biology programme will delve into understanding the biological profile of the nanoparticles produced in the chemistry programme. Specifically, we will examine cellular interactions and toxicity, and characterise their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver gene therapies that kill brain cancer cells in vitro prior to future in vivo investigation.

 Supervisor Dr Ruirui Qiao and Dr Helen Forgham

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) CAR-T and CAR-natural killer cells identify specific tumour ligands resulting in programmed cancer cell death. Nanoparticle-based CAR therapy is a newer, innovative immunotherapy approach for all cancers, capable of intensifying T-cell-mediated and natural killer adaptive immune responses. The use of nanoparticles offers an improvement to conventional CAR-T and CAR-natural killer therapy because the nanoparticles can provide additional targeting ability towards cancer cells and simultaneously be used as a drug carrier and/or imaging agent. Our biology programme will delve into understanding and characterising how the nanoparticle-CAR therapy produced in our chemistry programme interact with cancer cells to measure a targeted-lethal response. We will also examine and characterise their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier in vitro and determine any potential toxicity issues prior to future in vivo studies.