Research Engagement and ImpactImpact Seed Funding – supporting our Flinders ECRs - Dr Linlin Ma

Gold nanoparticles and red blood cells travelling through an artery

Inspiring Research will be profiling recipients of the inaugural Flinders University Impact Seed Funding Grants – awarded July 2018.

Today we’re meeting Dr Linlin Ma, College of Medicine and Public Health, and highlighting aspects of her research project "Targeting hEAG1 channel with gold nanoparticles for diagnostic imaging and targeted treatment of colorectal cancer".

Linlin’s project aims to develop the potassium ion channel hEAG1 as a biomarker for gold nanoparticle -based diagnostic imaging and targeted chemotherapeutic treatment for Colorectal cancer (CRC). As CRC is well known for its very low chemotherapy success rate and acquired resistance, any new method of improving this success rate would be welcomed.

CRC is the third most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The global burden of CRC is expected to increase by 60% to more than 2.2 million new cases and 1.1 million deaths by 2030. It is particularly a problem in Australia/New Zealand, as we have the highest morbidity in the world. The current treatments rely on surgery and chemotherapy and are a considerable burden for patients physically, psychologically and economically.

Moreover, a rising incidence of CRC in younger individuals has opened an urgent need for non-invasive screening methods with improved accuracy to substitute the inaccurate stool test and the invasive colonoscopy. Nanoparticle-based technologies are considered a promising strategy with the potential to revolutionise cancer diagnosis and treatments. Impact Seed Grant funding will enable testing of the feasibility of the idea and generate solid preliminary data, and, in doing so, showcase the huge potential of the novel approach for further explorations for cancer treatment and survivability.

Linlin will be working with her research mentor Professor Ross McKinnon, College of Medicine and Public Health, who will provide expertise in molecular oncology and bring a broad knowledge of cancer research to the project. As the project is multidisciplinary, integrating the research fields of ion channel biology, nanotechnology, and molecular oncology, Linlin will also be collaborating with nanotechnology researchers Professor Joe Shapter and Associate Professor Ingo Koper, Flinders’ College of Science and Engineering.

 

Flinders University Impact Seed Funding Grants provide an opportunity for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to develop their careers and enable key research projects or promotion of research outcomes. Flinders University has partnered with our community of donors to provide the opportunity for ECRs to receive financial support to develop and fortify their skill sets. Our supporters want to make a difference by building our researchers’ capacity and capabilities to make a positive impact. Please contact Dr Marina Delpin  if you wish to know more about this initiative.

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