News & Events

Caruso group scores cover of first issue of new RSC journal, Nanoscale

Research by Prof. Frank Caruso's NIMS group on polymer hydrogel capsules has been featured on the cover of the inaugural issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) journal, Nanoscale. The article covers current biomedical platforms that can be used to develop next-generation therapeutic carrier vehicles. In particular, this research looks at the potential of polymer capsules which have been derived by layer-by-layer assembly as platform systems to construct artificial cells and organelles, including the subcompartmentalization of polymer capsules.

RACI highlights CNST capsule research

In their latest magazine (October 2009), the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) highlighted the research efforts by Prof. Frank Caruso’s NIMS research team into subcompartmentalised capsules. The group’s investigations revealed the use of subcompartments to facilitate triggered enzymatic cascade reactions, and which were published in the international peer review journal, Angewandte Chemie, International Edition.

CNST research on synthetic cells highlighted

The work by Prof. Frank Caruso’s NIMS research team into developing synthetic cells has been showcased in Highlights in Chemical Biology, which is put out by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The article identifies that “artificial cells are expected to become powerful therapeutic tools to perform missing or lost cell functions”. The cells’ development is enhanced through layer-by-layer assemble. This work will be further explored in the group’s upcoming article in the new RSC journal, Nanoscale.

CNST postgrad receives Borland Forum award

CNST postgraduate student, Cameron Kinnane, part of Prof. Frank Caruso’s research team, received the 2009 Borland Forum award for best presentation. His presentation was entitled "Low-Fouling Poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) Capsules with Engineered Degradable Properties". The Forum provides an opportunity for four outstanding students from different Australian universities to showcase their current research. The 2009 Borland Forum was held at The University of Melbourne in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering.

CNST article in top 50 for ChemSocRev

The collaborative research paper, "Next Generation, Sequentially Assembled Ultrathin Films: Beyond Electrostatics”, authored by Dr John Quinn, Dr Angus Johnston, Dr Georgina Such, Dr Alex Zelikin and Prof. Frank Caruso has been ranked in the top 50 articles published in 2007 in Chemical Society Reviews (ChemSocRev), a high profile journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry with an impressive impact factor of 17.4 (2009).

CNST article in top 5 most-cited in Chemistry of Materials

The research article authored by CNST members Dr Yajun Wang and Prof. Frank Caruso with Alexandra Angelatos entitled "Template Synthesis of Nanostructured Materials via Layer-by-Layer Assembly" has been recognised as the second most-cited article published in 2008 in the premier journal Chemistry of Materials.

Capsule research highlighted

The research undertaken by Prof. Frank Caruso and his research team, including Dr Brigitte Städler, at the University of Melbourne has been highlighted on EurekAlert. The international information release describes their work on enzyme-equipped liposomes embedded in polymer capsules, which are then used as a novel biomedical transport system. The researchers have effectively developed a microcontainer that can hold thousands of individual "carrier units" -- a "capsosome" -- as a new approach to drug delivery.

Profs Caruso and Mulvaney elected Fellows of the AAS

CNST members Prof. Frank Caruso and Prof. Paul Mulvaney were elected as Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) on 24 March 2009. Prof. Caruso was recognised for his distinguished work on nanoengineering of surface structures through polymer self-assembly, while Prof. Mulvaney was recognised for his oustanding research in nanoscience and plasmonics. Election to the Australian Academy of Science represents one of the highest honours for individual contributions to science that a scientist may be awarded in Australia, with only 16 elected in 2009. The AAS target those whose exceptional contributions have shaped the direction of Australian and international science and contributed to the welfare of Australia. This will also lead to a special AAS New Fellows' and Medalists' Symposium on 9 July at The University of Melbourne, where Prof. Caruso and Prof. Mulvaney will present their work to a public audience.

Prof. Caruso awarded Woodward Medal in Science and Technology

Prof. Frank Caruso was awarded the prestigious Woodward Medal in Science and Technology in recognition of his exceptional contribution to knowledge and research in the field of nanoengineered particles for drug delivery.

[link to MUSSE article]

Prof. Prawer receives RSV Research Medal

CNST member Prof. Steven Prawer received the 2008 Royal Society of Victoria Research Medal for Scientific Research in Category IV: Physical Sciences for excellence in his field of study, particularly quantum information processing and nanotechnology.

CNST postgrads score presentation awards

Two CNST postgraduates, Alisa Becker and Melissa Leung, were accorded special awards for their presentations on their incisive nanotechnology research at the MERIT 2008 Research Symposium, hosted by the Melbourne Engineering Research Institute (MERIT). Alisa Becker’s presentation focused on her investigations into redox-active polymer microcapsules for DNA delivery, resulting in her receiving the MERIT Best Presentation Award. This will facilitate her attendance at an overseas conference. Melissa Leung received a NICTA Honourable Mention and a NanoVIC Honourable Mention for her presentation on biofunctionalised capsules for targeted drug delivery.

Prof. Caruso gives VC Research Lecture on nanomedicine

Prof. Frank Caruso presented a Vice Chancellor's Research Lecture entitled "Nanomedicine: Nanostructured Materials and Biomedicine" on 15 September 2008 at The University of Melbourne. His presentation to a full theatre addressed how nanoengineered materials are poised to revolutionise healthcare treatment and diagnosis. This VC series of lectures celebrates the excellence of research across the University and focuses on the work of seven of the University's outstanding researchers. Their considerable standing in research has been recognised with the award of prestigious Federation of Australia Fellowships in Science, Medicine and Engineering.

CNST postgrad wins RSV research award

Alisa Becker, a postgraduate student in Prof. Caruso's research group, was awarded the Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) Post Graduate Student Prize in Physical Science for her presentation titled "Engineering Novel Delivery Vehicles for DNA Therapeutics". The RSV seeks to promote and advance science and technology, and these awards are aimed at recognising excellence in research. Three finalists were chosen based on an abstract and the winner selected after a presentation to the Society on 21 August 2008.

Elvira Tjipto showcases nanotechnology on TV

Dr Elvira Tjipto, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Caruso group, appeared on the Australian television program, Scope, a show designed to make science more accessible to the younger generation. Her segment, screened on 11 August 2008, focused on the development and use of liquid crystals. In her segment, she elaborated on the alignment of crystals and how polarisation is utilised to make liquid crystal displays (LCD). Dr Tjipto also talked about her research into liquid crystals to detect toxins in the environment and how altering their alignment may lead to easy handheld devices to identify toxins in air and water.

Caruso group’s nanoscale drug delivery research highlighted

Research on polymer nanocapsules for drug delivery undertaken by Prof. Caruso’s group has been reported in Nanoscale Research Letters, a new free-access Springer journal showcasing pioneering scientific discoveries. In the article, Prof. Frank Caruso discusses his research group’s efforts to design and develop single-component polymer-based nanoscale drug delivery systems to advance tumour therapy by minimising the systemic toxicity of anticancer drugs. The article also highlights the group’s use of a silica particle template in layer-by-layer assembly processes.

Caruso group’s research spotlighted in ARC Future Outcomes report

The Australian Research Council’s new book, Outcomes: Results of Research in the Real World 2008, highlights Frank Caruso and his team’s efforts in advancing targeted drug delivery capsules to combat cancer, HIV and heart disease, as well as diagnosis. This publication spotlights significant areas of scientific advancement, identifying nanotechnology as an area to realise solutions to today’s challenges. The ARC book elaborates on the Caruso group’s achievements in developing nanoengineered capsules for delivery to specific areas, also noting collaborative institutional linkages that have formed.

Frank Caruso's research reported in The Australian

The Higher Education supplement published by The Australian newspaper featured a report on the research activities of Prof. Frank Caruso and the Nanostructured Interfaces & Materials Group which he heads. The article highlighted the group’s research into deploying “infinitesimally small depth charges of anti-cancer drugs”, particularly in targeting colorectal cancer. These polymer-based capsules would be biocompatible and biodegradable to minimise harmful side effects. The article also emphasised that the Caruso research team have overcome several challenges to date, including getting the capsules close to the cancerous cells, internalising them within those cells and then effecting drug release.

Luke Connal: Honorable mention in IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists

Dr Luke Connal, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Caruso group, received an Honorable mention in the 2008 IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists. This was for his PhD thesis work titled "Honeycomb Materials: Synthesis and Properties".

CNST postgrad awarded internship in Japan

Chris Ochs, a postgraduate student in Prof. Frank Caruso's group, was awarded an Internship Program Fellowship by the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan. The internship will last three months starting in September 2008 at the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA). His project work covers tunable multistep release from biodegradable nanocompartment films, including use of the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique.

Frank Caruso's podcast in University of Melbourne’s iTunes launch

Prof. Frank Caruso’s 2007 podcast on achieving precision drug delivery using nanotechnology was selected to be included in the University of Melbourne’s iTunes launch in June 2008.

Mentoring role for CNST postgrad

Alisa Becker, a postgraduate student in Prof. Frank Caruso's research group, was selected to be a mentor as part of the 2008 Mentor Program for Highly Able Senior Secondary Students, which fosters individual academic mentorship by a research postgraduate of a high school student with demonstrated ability and interest in a shared area of research. This program was initiated by the Melbourne School of Graduate Research at the University of Melbourne and launched in May 2008 by Prof. Angela O’Brien, Deputy Dean of the School of Graduate Research.

CNST postgrad receives nanotech award

Alisa Becker, a postgraduate student in Prof. Frank Caruso's group, was nominated by the ARC Nanotechnology Network as one of five Australian graduate students to participate in the ‘HOPE’ Meeting, Advanced Courses in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, in Tsukuba, Japan, from 24-29 February 2008. Alisa’s scholarship was fully funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and granted to outstanding postgraduate students in the Asia-Pacific region to interact with their peers and eminent scientists in the field, including several Nobel Laureates.

CNST article scores cover of Chemistry of Materials

Published by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the latest issue of the leading journal Chemistry of Materials (Issue 3, 12 February 2008) has featured on its cover an article on nanostructured materials written by Dr Yajun Wang, Dr Alexandra Angelatos and Prof. Frank Caruso.