The Nano Revolution
[ Research Review 0809 : Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences ]
By Silvia Dropulich
The world is poised to be revolutionised by nanomedicine [a combination of nanotechnology and biomedicine], with global economic and social benefits, according to Professor Frank Caruso, an Australian Research Council Federation Fellow in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Professor Caruso seeks to make an impact on the world by mentoring the next generation of scientists and translating his research outcomes into benefits for the community.
€œNanotechnology is underpinning a number of developments in a diverse range of areas from computing to diagnostics and therapeutics,€ Professor Caruso said.
€œBreakthroughs in the area of nanotechnology are expected to have significant outcomes on society.€
Professor Caruso is Director of the University€™s Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and leads the Nanostructured Interfaces and Materials research group in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
He is a world leader in polymer science and technology research aimed at engineering polymer nanostructures, focusing on the self-assembly of polymers to produce advanced nano- and bio-materials.
Professor Caruso pioneered the modification of colloidal particles with ultrathin polymer coatings. This has opened new opportunities for the creation of €˜smart€™ colloidal materials, which have potential applications in medicine, diagnostics and catalysis.
Professor Caruso€™s group has produced, for example, hollow polymer colloids that are being examined for targeting cells to help treat colorectal cancer. Once specifically targeted to cancerous tissue, the particles can be stimulated to release the drugs.
The group is also using polymers with tailored and well-defined macromolecular architectures to make a generational leap in the design of responsive ultrathin films.
€œNanotechnology is an enabling technology which covers a variety of disciplines,€ Professor Caruso explains.
€œMy interest in it stems from the fact that you can introduce new properties into materials as a function of size and/or structure.
€œIf you can structure materials in a certain way or reduce their size, they can have new properties.
€œAnd these new properties can then be used to engineer new systems.€
Professor Caruso completed his PhD in chemistry at the University of Melbourne (UniMelb). In 1997, he became an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Germany, where he undertook research into advanced biomaterials, before returning to the University of Melbourne in 2002.
He has been awarded several awards and prizes, including the Max Planck Institute Research Excellence Award (1998); the German Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology BioFuture Award (1999); the Royal Australian Chemical Institute Rennie Memorial Medal (2000); the Royal Society of Chemistry€“Royal Australian Chemical Institute Exchange Medal (2001); the Australian Academy of Science Le Fèvre Memorial Prize for significant contributions to the chemical/physical sciences (2005); and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute Australian Polymer Science and Technology Achievement Award (2006).
Professor Caruso was awarded the 2008 Woodward Medal in Science and Technology. The Medal recognises his outstanding body of published work exploring nanoengineered particles for a new generation of advanced drug delivery systems, aimed at improving healthcare and medical outcomes for the treatment of diseases such as cancer and AIDS.
Professor Caruso is an editor of the journal Chemistry of Materials (the number one journal in materials science by citations), published by the American Chemical Society, and is on the editorial advisory boards of Advanced Functional Materials, International Journal of Nanomedicine and Nanoscale Research Letters. He was also a member of the ARC College of Experts panel for Engineering and Environmental Sciences (2005€“2008). In 2009, he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
Professor Caruso was also among the academics whose work was celebrated by the Australian Research Council in the book, Outcomes: Results of Research in the Real World 2008.
Some of the projects that Professor Caruso€™s team is currently involved with include developing drugs for colon cancer with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and developing vaccine delivery systems with the Department of Immunology and Microbiology (UniMelb).
Research programs are also being undertaken with the Bionic Ear Institute on the bionic ear and delivering drugs to the inner ear to preserve hearing and prevent hearing loss.
A fourth research area, with the Baker Heart Medical Institute, focuses on the detection and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.
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