The Madeira Chemistry Research Centre (CQM) has the pleasure to announce that Professor Xiangyang Shi (CQM Senior Researcher and Vice Dean of the College of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Donghua University, China), will present two seminars on 27th and 28th of July of 2023, entitled, respectively, "Dendrimer-Based Nanomedicine Design to Boost Cancer Immunotherapy", and "Supramolecular assembly synthesis of core-shell teco dendrimers for biomedical applications". These lessons will take place at the University of Madeira, Senate Conference Room, at 15h00. Registration is required as indicated below.
ABSTRACTS
Seminar 1: Dendrimer-Based Nanomedicine Design to Boost Cancer Immunotherapy (27th of July of 2023)
Inhibiting tumor growth and preventing tumor recurrence and metastasis are still the major targets of current cancer therapy. Recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology provide a vast variety of options to design nanoplatforms for cancer therapy from multiple aspects. In particular, dendrimers, a family of highly branched monodispersed synthetic macromolecules have been used to deal with cancer via immunotherapy through different aspects. In this talk, we would like to show the developments of dendrimer-based nanomedicine design to boost cancer immunotherapy investigated in our group. Dendrimers can be used as gene vectors to deliver siRNA to cancer cells,[1] T cells,[2] or dendritic cells (DCs)[3] to induce immune checkpoint blockade therapy or to maturate DCs for activation of cytotoxic T cells. In addition, dendrimer-entrapped CuS nanoparticles modified with phenylboronic acid can be complexed with an adjuvant to capture antigen after photothermal therapy of tumors to create an in-situ tumor vaccine.[4] Moreover, dendrimers with intrinsic chemotherapy activity can be used as a drug to promote chemoimmunotherapy of tumors through amplification of endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial dysfunction.[5] Lastly, dendron micelles with inherent immune activity to proliferate natural killer (NK) cells can be designed to modulate multiple immune cells for cooperative tumor chemoimmunotherapy.[6]
References
[1] X. Xue, J. Li, Y. Fan, M. W. Shen, X. Y. Shi, Sci. China Mater. 2021, 64, 2045.
[2] Y. Gao, Z. J. Ouyang, C. Yang, C. Song, C. J. Jiang, S. L. Song, M. G. Shen, X. Y. Shi, Adv. Healthcare Mater. 2021, 10, 2100833.
[3] Z. J. Ouyang, Y. Gao, R. Yang, M. W. Shen, X. Y. Shi, Biomacromolecules 2022, 23, 1326.
[4] S. Y. Shen, Y. Gao, Z. J. Ouyang, B. Y. Jia, M. W. Shen, X. Y. Shi, J. Controlled Release 2023, 355, 171.
[5] Y. Q. Guo, Y. Fan, Z. Q. Wang, G. M. Li, M. S. Zhan, J. L. Gong, J. P. Majoral, X. Y. Shi, M. W. Shen, Adv. Mater. 2022, 34, 2206861.
[6] M. S. Zhan, J. R. Qiu, Y. Fan, L. Chen, Y. Q. Guo, Z. Q. Wang, J. Li, J. P. Majoral, X. Y. Shi, Adv. Mater. 2023, 35, 2208277.
Seminar 2: Supramolecular assembly synthesis of core-shell teco dendrimers for biomedical applications (28th of July of 2023)
Dendrimers with excellent properties have received immense interest in a range of biomedical applications, in particular cancer nanomedicine. However, with the deepened research, single-generation dendrimers show some drawbacks, such as limited drug loading capacity, restricted tumor passive targeting based on enhanced permeability and retention effect, etc. Herein, we designed core-shell tecto dendrimers (CSTDs) with generation 5 (G5) poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer as a core and G3 PAMAM dendrimer as a shell through supramolecular assembly based on the host-guest recognition of β-cyclodextrin (CD) and adamantane (Ad) or benzimidazole (BM) in order to break through these obstacles in cancer nanomedicine. We first explored the synthesis of G5-CD/Ad-G3 CSTDs with G5 core and G3 shell through the supramolecular recognition of CD and Ad. The G5-CD/Ad-G3 CSTDs were able to transfect luciferase (Luc) gene with efficiency 20 times and 170 times higher than single-generation G5-CD and G3-Ad dendrimers, respectively. Therefore, the G5-CD/Ad-G3 CSTDs were further used for co-delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) and microRNA 21 inhibitor (miR 21i) into cancer cells for enhanced anticancer therapy applications. We have also created a pH-sensitive G5-CD/BM-G3 CSTD-based systems via host-guest assembly for intelligent drug delivery applications by controlling the responsive release of drugs. In addition, we developed a modular design approach to generate multifunctional CSTDs with acetyl termini (M-CSTD.NHAc) to complex with copper ions (Cu(II)) for targeted glioma MR imaging and chemodynamic therapy (CDT) via crossing blood-brain barrier. Beyond these findings, some recent developments in our group have also been included. In summary, a series of functional nanoplatforms based on CSTDs have been constructed and explored for combined therapy, accurate diagnosis and theranostics of cancer. These findings related to CSTD-based carriers provide some theoretical basis and new ideas to develop nanoplatforms for precise diagnosis and efficient treatment of tumors.
References
[1] Chen, F., Kong, L., Wang, L., Fan, Y., Shen, M., and Shi, X. J. Mater. Chem. B. 2017, 5 (43): 8459-8466.
[2] Wang, J., Li, D., Fan, Y., Shi, M., Yang, Y., Wang, L., Peng, Y., Shen, M., and Shi, X. Nanoscale. 2019, 11 (46): 22343-22350.
[3] Song C., Xiao, Y., Ouyang, Z., Shen, M., and Shi, X. J. Mater. Chem. B. 2020, 8 (14): 2768-2774.
[4] Song, C.; Shen, M.; Rodrigues, J.; Mignani, S.; Majoral, J.-P.; Shi, X. Coord. Chem. Rev. 2020, 421, 213463.
[5] Song C., Gao, Y., Chen, J., Wang, L., Bányai, I., Shen, M., and Shi, X. Colloids Surf., A. 2021, 5, 126466.
[6] Song C., Ouyang, Z., Guo, H., Qu, J., Gao, Y., Xia, J., Shen, M., and Shi, X. Biomacromolecules 2021, 22, 5, 2181-2188.
[7] Song C., Zhan M., Ouyang Z., Yao Y., Gao Y., Shen M., Shi X. J. Controlled Release 2023, 358, 601-611.
[8] Gong J., Song C., Li G., Guo Y., Wang Z., Guo H., Xia J., Tao Y., Shi Q., Shi X., Shen M. Biomater. Sci. 2023, 11, 4385 – 4396.
ABOUT XIANGYANG SHI
Xiangyang Shi is currently a professor and serves as the Vice Dean of the College of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Donghua University.
Prof. Xiangyang Shi graduated with B.Sc. (chemistry, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang), M.E. (applied chemistry, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing), and Ph.D. (organic chemistry, Institute of Photographic Chemistry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing) in 1992, 1995 and 1998, respectively. He worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Tsinghua University (1998-2000, Beijing) and Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (2000-2001, Potsdam, Germany). He then moved to California State University, Los Angeles (2001-2002) as a visiting scholar. From 2002-2008, he worked as a Research Fellow, Research Associate II, Research Investigator, and Research Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He then became a professor of special appointment both in Donghua University and in Shanghai Institutions of High Learning (Eastern Scholar) since 2008. Since 2010 he is also appointed as an “Invited Chair in Nanotechnology” at University of Madeira, Portugal.
Prof. Shi has authored or coauthored 487 SCI-indexed peer-reviewed journal articles with an H-index of 84 and 342 technical conference abstracts or proceeding papers, along with 17 invited book chapters and 128 approved patents. His current research interests are focused on the development of organic/inorganic hybrid nanoplatforms and microfluidic platforms for sensing, imaging, and theranostic applications, in particular for precision imaging and therapy of cancer and inflammatory diseases.
OTHER INFORMATION
 |
Registration deadline is the 26th of July of 2023. |
 |
Registration form (closed!) |