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Spotlight Professor Michael Yu
Prof Chengzhong Michael Yu joined the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at The University of Queensland in February, 2010 and has formed an energetic and multi-discipline research team located within the ARCCFN. Dr Wenyi Gu has joined his group from the Diamantina Institute with a deep background in biochemistry and molecular biology. Two PhD students and two occupational trainees are also currently working in the group, with another postdoc and a UQ IRPS student soon commencing. The group has already established facilities for the synthesis and characterisation of materials for cell and animal studies.
Professor Yu has a broad research interest in sol-gel chemistry and self-assembly strategies to understand fundamental structure-property correlations and to design functional nanostructured composites for biotechnology, clean energy and environmental protection. His group's research aims to establish a multi-component, multi-functional and tailor-made delivery platform for cancer therapy, specifically targeting cancer stem cells and multi-drug resistant cancer cells, which are believed to be responsible for tumour regeneration and metastasis. To achieve this long-term goal, they have successfully cultured stem-like cancer cells from ovarian, breast, and osteosarcoma cancer cell lines. Currently the synthesis of nano-carriers with different compositions and structures is under way, through which targeted delivery (anti-cancer drugs, photosensitizers, sRNA, etc.) into both normal cancer cells and cancer stem cells will be achieved. Progress through this project is expected to eradicate incurable cancers currently resistant to systemic therapy.
Professor Yu has received a number of awards including the ARC Future Fellowship, and published more than 100 refereed journal papers with citations over 3600 and an H-index of 33.
Cancer stem cells cultured from HeLa (cervical cancer); MCF-7 ( breast cancer); and BLK-143 (osteosarcoma).
Awards and recognitions
Centre researchers gain international recognition
Centre researchers were among a group of scientists honoured as international leaders in their fields.
As part of Thomson Reuters’ ISI Highly Cited rankings, researchers have been named as Highly Cited Researchers, a prestigious ranking that tracks the most highly cited researchers in subject categories such as life sciences, engineering and social sciences.
Centre research director Prof Lu and colleagues from the centre made the list for their 2008 paper: Anatase TiO2
single crystals with a large percentage of reactive facets, Yang, et al (2008) Nature 453, 638-641
Australia's most influential engineers
Centre Research Director Professor Max Lu and Chair of the Centre’s Advisory Board Professor Peter Gray have been included in this year’s list of top 100 most influential engineers
The list is compiled and published by Engineers Australia magazine and sponsored by the Institution of Engineers Australia. To be eligible for selection, candidates must have an engineering degree. Included are engineers who are based in Australia, independent of their nationality, as well as Australians who work and live overseas.
This is the second time that Professor Lu has been included in the list.
Dean’s Awards for Outstanding Research Higher Degree
 Centre PhD graduate Dr Katharina Ladewig has been recognised with a Dean’s award for outstanding research higher degree.
This Award gives formal recognition to those few PhD and MPhil graduates who receive unanimously outstanding reports from their assessors, which commend them on making genuine and substantial contributions to their field of research. No more than 10% of Research Higher Degree graduates are recognised in this way each year.
Dr Ladewig’s thesis was titled Nanoparticles with Application in the Delivery of Nucleic Acids to Mammalian Cells.
She currently holds a postdoctoral position at the University of Melbourne.
Travel and exchange
CIMTEC 2010
Centre Research Fellow Dr Denisa Jurcakova presented an invited talk at CIMTEC 2010 (12th International Conference on Modern Materials and Technologies), as part of the 5th forum on New Materials, held in Montecatini Terme, Italy in June.
CIMTEC brings together a large and qualified audience of materials scientists, physicists, chemists and engineers as well as experts from a wide range of the most demanding application areas of modern materials, from information technology to biological systems.
Dr Jurcakova’s talk Tailoring of mesoporous carbons for advanced electric double layer capacitors, D. Jurcakova, T.E. Rufford, Z.H. Zhu and G.Q.M. Lu was very well received an generated much discussion following the presentation.
Communications and events
New marketing materials
With funds provided by the DIISR, the Centre, in collaboration with the Australian Nanotechnology Alliance (ANA) has produced a number of communication materials to show the technologies made possible through nanotechnology. The materials, aimed largely at the general public and school groups, include a series of bookmarks, puzzles and postcards, all highlighting the advancements made possible through nanotechnology.
The bookmarks showcase the TEM and SEM images taken by staff and students from the centre. The series includes, membranes for clean water, nanocubes for better batteries, nanotubes for enhanced materials, nanocarriers for drug delivery, and nanocrystals improving solar energy.
The spherical puzzle represents a carbon buckyball. A C60 buckyball is approximately one nanometre in diameter and contains 60 carbon atoms, all bonded together to yield a hollow, many-sided structure composed of pentagons and hexagons, not unlike the surface of a soccer ball. It is a highly recognised structure affiliated with nanotechnology and, given its shape, it makes the perfect tool for inspiring an interest in nanotechnology. Using these materials, the ARCCFN and the ANA will be able to present important subjects including materials science and nanotechnology to a broad range of groups including students and the general public.
The Buckyball puzzles will be included in show bags for the Australian Science Festival, organised by CSIRO publishing in Melbourne, and they will also be distributed through TechNyou throughout Science Week.
 
Australia China symposium
In May, the Centre hosted the Australia China Symposium on Clean Energy, which included an industry breakfast with delegates from local industry, government and academia with an introductory address given by Mr Ian Fletcher, the Director General from the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.
The main objective of the Symposium was to promote international cooperation and partnership between world leaders in the fields of nanomaterials for clean energy applications.
The two day event proved to be a great success with ample opportunity to discuss research and collaboration.
Upcoming events
Astute Nanotechnology Seminar
Together with UQ Gatton, Astute Nanotechnology is presenting a seminar: Targeted Delivery of Pharmaceuticals in Animals: Material Development and Biological Evaluations
This seminar will provide an overview of the current collaborative project between DEEDI and ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials at UQ. Utilising the collective expertise of two groups in physiological systems and nanomaterial development, this project aims to develop a nanoparticle based vaccine formulation that with a longer shelf life and improved immunogenicity.
Following the seminar there will be opportunity to discuss this research and other collaborative opportunities with the presenters.
Date 12 August 2010
Time 12pm
Room 112/112A
Location Bldg 8106, UQ Gatton
Click notice for further details
Centre annual conference
The Seventh Annual Conference of the ARCCFN will be held from the 25-26 November 2010 on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. This year the conference will be open to the broader scientific community. The scope of the annual conference series, Advances in Functional Nanomaterials, covers fundamental and applied research that applies to developments in functional nanomaterials and nanotechnology, including sessions in fundamental synthesis techniques, computational nanomaterials science, clean energy production and utilisation, environmental technologies, and health care.
For further information on the conference program and registration, please visit our website
http://www.arccfn.org.au/conf2010/
http://www.arccfn.org.au/conf2010/
General news
Newsletter Nanomatters is also available as an email edition or online at the Centre’s website www.arccfn.org.au. To register for our email editions, please email Paulette Baumgartl at p.baumgartl@uq.edu.au
Website The Centre’s website (arccfn.org.au) contains information on the Centre’s aims, governance, research activities, publications, news items and interesting links. All current and past newsletters and annual reports are also available to download from the site.
Contacts
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Centre Head Office
Ms Celestien Warnaar
ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials
Level 5 West, AIBN
Cnr College and Cooper Roads
The University of Queensland
Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
t: (+61) 7 3346 3883
f: (+61) 7 3346 3973
e: c.warnaar@uq.edu.au
www.arccfn.org.au |
NSW/ACT Node
Professor Rose Amal
ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials
School of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry
The University of New South Wales
Sydney, NSW, 2052
t: (+61) 2 9385 4361
f: (+61) 2 9385 5996
e: r.amal@unsw.edu.au
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