Events Calendar

Biomedical Engineering Speakers

Speaker: Dr. Shuming Nie, Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology

Talk Title: Engineering Unusual Properties on the Nanoscale: from Single-Molecule Raman Spectroscopy to Smart Molecular Imaging Probes

Series: Biomedical Engineering Special Seminar

Abstract: Materials on the nanometer scale such as quantum dots, plasmonic nanostructures, and polymeric nanomicelles have electronic, optical, magnetic, and structural properties that are not available from either discrete molecules or bulk materials. When conjugated with targeting ligands such as monoclonal antibodies, peptides or small molecules, these nanoparticles can be used to target malignant tumor cells and the immune microenvironments with high specificity and affinity. In the "mesoscopic" size range of 1 to 100 nm, nanoparticles also have large surface areas for conjugating to multiple diagnostic and therapeutic agents, opening new possibilities in chemical sensing, molecular imaging, and targeted therapy. Here I will discuss new strategies for engineering unusual and emergent properties that are possible only on the nanometer scale. In particular, we have developed spectrally encoded and biocompatible nanoparticles based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for single-molecule, single-nanoparticle, and single-cell studies under in-vivo physiological conditions. We have also developed a class of activatable or "smart" fluorescent nanoparticles with ultrahigh pH sensitivity for targeting the acidic tumor microenvironments as well as for guiding cancer surgery in real time. (Supported by NIH grants U54CA119338, RC2CA148265, R01CA108468, and R01CA163256).

Biography: Dr. Nie is the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, Director of the Emory-Georgia Tech Cancer Nanotechnology Program, and Founding Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences of Nanjing University (China). His academic work is primarily in the areas of nanomedicine, biomolecular engineering, stimuli-responsive materials, molecular and cellular imaging, and image-guided surgery. Professor Nie has published over 300 papers, patents, and book chapters, have delivered more than 400 invited lectures around the world, and have trained over 30 doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows who are now making an impact at top academic institutions and biotech companies. His scholarly work has been cited 53,000 times with an h-index of 83 (Google Scholar). Professor Nie received his BS degree from Nankai University (China) in 1983, earned his MS and PhD degrees from Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois, 1984-1990), and did postdoctoral research at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Stanford University (1990-1994).

Host: Ellis Meng, PhD

Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 460

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta