Bingyang Shi, Honorary Dean, School of Pharmacy, Henan University and Executive Director, Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, Macquarie University
After receiving his Ph.D. in the University of Adelaide in 2014, Dr. Shi was awarded Macquarie University Research Fellowship in 2015 and joined Department of Biomedical Sciences to build an independent Brain Drug Delivery Research Group with the supervision of senior mentors. With supporting with a number of competitive grants (e.g. NHMRC-ARC Dementia Research Development Fellowship, Australian Endeavour Leadership Fellowship, Mason Foundation project, NHMRC project grants and Investigator grant), his Brain Drug Delivery Research Group has been growing to be a Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation.
His research ambition is to address a major challenge in the treatment of brain diseases – which is the successful delivery of therapeutic agents across the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) – the BBB acts as a cellular barrier that prevents toxins, foreign materials and other dangerous molecules from entering the brain, however as a consequence this poses major challenges for getting therapeutic molecules into the brain. To overcome this, Dr. Shi has been developing three main research streams: 1) nanoparticle-based BBB penetration mechanisms; 2) the development of alternate brain delivery systems; and 3) pre-clinical evaluation of therapies for brain diseases.
In his accelerated-trajectory career, he has delivered more than 80 high-qualified journal publications on these topics, developed several core patented technologies for brain delivery systems (eg: Bio-NPs and Glu-NPs), set up collaboration networks across multiple countries, made close connections with industry and hospital partners, and have developed strong avenues for professional development and contribution.
Interview: Bingyang Shi, the Executive Editor-in-Chief of Exploration (in Chinese)