Dr. Jianguo Yang graduated in the 1980s from Vanderbilt University, USA, where he studied under Dr. Burk, the visionary who first discovered selenoprotein P. In 1987, Dr. Yang successfully purified plasma selenoprotein P for the first time and was also the first to clone the gene responsible for this protein. His groundbreaking contributions have earned him the title "Father of Selenoprotein P" within the global selenium research community.
Another of Dr. Yang's mentors, Dr. Stanley Cohen, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1986 for his work on epidermal growth factor (EGF). After retiring from the University of Sydney in Australia, Dr. Yang collaborated with the National Key Laboratory at the Cancer Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Beijing Institute of Nutritional Resources to supervise doctoral and master's students. He was the first to use genetic engineering techniques to express and purify human selenoprotein P and conducted foundational research on its anti-liver cancer properties, for which he was awarded a national invention patent.
In 2015, Dr. Yang was honored with the Top Ten Outstanding Contribution Award in China's selenium industry and was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Academic Expert Committee of the China Selenium-enriched Alliance.
Dr. Horace R. Drew earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1981. During his postdoctoral studies at the University of Cambridge, he was the first to obtain DNA crystals. His postdoctoral mentor, Dr. Sanger, was a two-time Nobel Prize laureate. Dr. Drew has an extensive background in gene and DNA research and is the author of the book "Understanding DNA." He currently serves as the chief scientist of Trefoil Research Institute.
Minoo Moghaddam received her Ph.D. in Applied Chemistry from Osaka University, Japan, in 1989. After completing her postdoctoral studies in 1993, she joined the Nanomedicine Group at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia as a Senior Principal Research Scientist. She has over 25 years of research experience in drug delivery and nanotechnology for medical applications, including the development of novel cationic nanoparticles for gene delivery and cancer gene therapy.
In 1992, she co-developed a cross-linked biopolymer gel for the prevention and treatment of tissue adhesions in osteoarthritis. From 1993 to 2004, Minoo Moghaddam developed lipid-based drug and gene delivery vectors using tromethamine, which advanced to clinical trial stages and were subsequently licensed to Invitrogen. In 2004, she developed innovative nanomedicines for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, resulting in two patents and two pre-examination patents. She joined the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia in 2016 and is recognized as one of the leading figures in the field of international nanomedicine research.
Professor Ross Smith
- Co-Founder and Co-CEO of NanoMed
- Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney Medical School
- Head of the Cancer Surgery Laboratory at the Kolling Institute
- Former President of the Australia and New Zealand Pancreatic Cancer Association and Chairman of the Cancer Research Foundation
Professor Ross Smith's research team made the significant discovery that apolipoprotein A-Ⅱlevels are markedly reduced in cancer patients, providing evidence that cancer cells absorb apolipoprotein A-Ⅱ. He pioneered pancreatic cancer resection surgery and improved perioperative care. In 2000, Professor Smith founded the CanSur Foundation and began focusing on pancreatic cancer biotherapy and chemotherapy drug targeting at the Kolling Institute, affiliated with the University of Sydney. In 2009, he discovered a specific blood protein in pancreatic cancer patients, with one subtype being used for targeted nanomedicine therapy. From 2014 to 2016, he served as the President of the Australian Pancreatic Cancer Association.
Professor Garth Nicholson is a tenured professor at the University of Sydney and the founder of the ANZAC Research Institute for Molecular Neuroscience in Australia. He is a world leader in the molecular genetics of human hereditary neurological diseases. Professor Nicholson identified the genes responsible for several neuromuscular disorders, and his research group has also discovered new genes and potential mechanisms underlying spinal cord and peripheral nerve disorders. His pioneering work in the molecular genetics of human hereditary neurological diseases has paved the way for new approaches to treating musculoskeletal complications associated with these conditions.
Professor Nicholson established regional facilities dedicated to the investigation, management, and research of neurogenetic diseases. These include the Neurogenetics Clinic and Molecular Medicine Diagnostic Laboratory at Concord Hospital, as well as the Northcott Neuroscience Laboratory at the ANZAC Research Institute. In 1997, his laboratory successfully mapped and identified the pathogenic gene responsible for hereditary sensory neuropathy.
Dr. Maxine McCall
- Independent Nanotechnology Safety Consultant
- Honorary Research Fellow at CSIRO
- NSW Coordinator for CSIRO
- Member of the Scientific Nanotechnology Advisory Group at FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand)
Dr. Maxine McCall specializes in the structure and function of nucleic acids, as well as nanotechnology safety. She has utilized X-ray crystallography to determine the sequence-specific structure of synthetic DNA molecules, developed RNA-DNA hybrid catalysts as therapeutic agents to cleave harmful RNA, created microarrays with modified DNA probes to reduce mismatches with target DNA, and devised methods for attaching synthetic DNA to nanotubes and other nanoparticles to enable the directed self-assembly of nanomaterials into functional devices. Her work has resulted in several patents.
Dr. McCall has been with CSIRO for 25 years. Between 2008 and 2014, she developed and led CSIRO's nanotechnology safety research program, a multidisciplinary initiative aimed at determining the impacts of engineered nanomaterials on human health and the natural environment.
Ms. Penny Bean is an experienced laboratory biologist with over 35 years of work in the Biomathematics Research Group at the CSIRO. She has collaborated with various industrial and medical enterprises to assist in the large-scale production of anticancer monoclonal antibodies and the biological analysis of monoclonal antibodies. Additionally, she has supported gene therapy projects at Mayne Pharma.
Mr. Haocheng Chen is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Clover Health Research Institute. He graduated from the Department of Biology at Shenyang Normal University in 1992 and subsequently taught at the Liaoning Metallurgical Workers University. In 2007, he founded Beijing Kangjie Zhiye Biotechnology Co., Ltd., where he serves as Chairman. He also holds positions as an Executive Director of the Private Enterprise Association of Shenyang Industrial and Commercial Bureau and a member of the Liaoning Youth Entrepreneurs Association.
Dr. Yi-Nan Zheng, a representative of the 9th People's Congress of Jilin Province, holds a Ph.D. in Medicine from Japan and is a professor at the School of Chinese Medicinal Materials at Jilin Agricultural University. He serves as a doctoral advisor in the fields of Crop Cultivation and Tillage Science. Dr. Zheng is an Executive Director of the Chinese Ginseng Society and a member of the Medicinal Plants and Chinese Medicine Committee of the Chinese Botanical Society.
Dr. Zheng's research focuses on traditional Chinese medicine, with significant contributions to ginseng pharmacology. He discovered AFG, a new natural compound with extensive physiological activity isolated from ginseng, which exceeds the total saponins in ginseng and provides a new theoretical basis for its evaluation and clinical application. He has led 15 national and provincial research projects and has received numerous research achievements. Dr. Zheng has published over 100 academic papers and authored two scientific books. His current research is concentrated on health food and adjunctive cancer therapy drugs.
Professor Quankai Wang is a doctoral advisor at Jilin Agricultural University and the leading expert in the university’s Wildlife Protection and Utilization program. He serves as the Vice President of the Jilin Province Zoological Society and a Council Member of the National Association for Animal Infectious Diseases. Professor Wang graduated from the Department of Animal Science at Jilin Agricultural University in 1982, obtained his Master’s degree from the same department in 1988, and earned his Ph.D. from the PLA University of Agriculture in 1999.
He has conducted collaborative research as a visiting scholar at Massey University in New Zealand twice, in 1994 and 2006. With over thirty years of experience in teaching and research, Professor Wang has deep expertise in wildlife and agricultural health product processing technologies. He has published more than 80 academic papers, including 8 indexed in SCI journals, and currently leads 2 research projects.
