The NanoBio REU program proudly presents a special seminar from Dr. Shuming Nie from Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology. The seminar and luncheon are sponsored by UGA College of Engineering and UGA Faculty of Infectious Diseases.

Nanoscience and Nanomedicine: Pushing the Frontiers of Targeted Molecular Imaging and Therapy

Dr. Shuming Nie
 
Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Chair Professor in Biomedical Engineering
Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology
and
International Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University
11:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Riverbend South Auditorium

Nanomedicine is an area of considerable current interest in biosciences and bioengineering because of its broad applications in molecular imaging, in-vitro diagnostics, and targeted therapy. Nanometer-sized particles such as quantum dots, colloidal gold, and polymeric nanomicelles have functional 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 tumor microenvironment (such as tumor stroma and tumor vasculatures) with high specificity and affinity. In the “mesoscopic” size range of 10-100 nm, nanoparticles also have large surface areas for conjugating to multiple diagnostic and therapeutic agents, opening new possibilities in imaging, therapy, and surgery. In this talk, I will discuss the major challenges and opportunities in developing nanoparticles for intraoperative tumor imaging, image-guided surgery, and targeted therapy.

 
Shuming Nie is the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Chair Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Tech, and International Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Nanjing University. His research interests are primarily in molecular engineering and nanotechnology, with a focus on bioconjugated nanoparticles for molecular imaging, molecular profiling, and targeted therapy. His major academic achievements include the discovery of plasmonic nanoparticles that are able to amplify the efficiencies of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) by 14-15 orders of magnitude, his pioneering studies on water-soluble semiconductor quantum dots, and his breakthrough work in developing multifunctional smart nanoparticles for integrated biomedical imaging and therapy. Professor Nie has published over 300 papers, patents, and book chapters, and his academic work has been cited nearly 40,000 times, making him one of the most highly cited scholars in the world.