Contents 1 About the ACN 3 Directors’ Report 5 At a Glance 7 Research 8 2016 New Grant Funding 10 2016 New Research Projects 14 High Impact Papers 15 Engagement 16 Media 19 Events 20 Presentation 25 Collaborating Organisations 26 Awards, Prizes and Achievements 28 Governance, Our People & Visitors 29 Steering Committee 30 Organisational Chart 31 ACN Staff and Students 33 Visitors to the ACN 34 Publications 42 Cover Gallery 43 Financial Report About the ACN The ACN was established in mid-2011 as a national innovator in NanoMedicine, bringing together a diverse team of leading researchers in Medicine, Science and Engineering to deliver the next generation of health innovations, and is dedicated to providing new solutions for therapeutics and diagnostics enabled by nanotechnology. The key science that underpins all the activities of the Centre is to fully understand and exploit the unique properties of nanomaterials for various applications (eg. Contrast agents for cell imaging and therapeutics for treating cancer). The Centre’s strategic vision is to create teams focused on particular diseases using Team ACN’s skills in drug delivery, diagnostics and imaging. To succeed in this, it requires an integrated team of researchers coming from diverse backgrounds and we have assembled a remarkable team of highly distinguished scientists and engineers covering nanotechnology, polymer science, cancer biology, chemical engineering, microfluidic, chemistry, sensors and imaging, social science and experimental arts (3D imaging) from five UNSW faculties: Medicine, Science, Engineering, Arts & Social Sciences, and Arts and Design. Dr Friederike Mansfeld, Senior Research Officer at Children's Cancer Institute 1 Dr. Robert Utama setting up a RAFT polymerization reaction with PhD student Kelly Zong. 2 Directors’ Report Scientia Professor Professor Maria Kavallaris Professor Cyrille Boyer Justin Gooding 2016 marks the 3rd year of cross-disciplinary output across the major conferences and meetings implementation of the Centre’s Centre. In 2016, we have over 113 including the 7th International 2nd strategic plan of 5 years. We publications, 7 book chapters and 3 Nanomedicine Conference, held in have grown from the initial 40+ patents with a growing number of Coogee on 27-29 June, where ACN research team from the inception papers published from the Centre’s researchers contributed many of the Centre to today’s 120 strong collaborative research programs. lectures. The Biomedical Futures team spread across five UNSW We published 14 papers with workshop organised by Associate faculties, encompassing a huge impact factors above 10 in the Professor Matthew Kearnes in amount of activities. We hope this following prestigious journals: December 2016 brought together report gives a flavour of the Chemical Reviews, Chemical primary care networks, clinicians, achievements we have made in Society Reviews, Nano Letters, care professionals, ACN 2016. Nature Nanotechnology, Science, researchers, and healthcare Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, administrators, to co-design major The past twelve months has seen Journal of the American Chemical public events in NSW, Victoria and outstanding scientific output, Society, Angewandte Chemie and Queensland on precision medicine. significant capacity building, the Advanced Materials. growth of National and • Numerous high profile International collaboration, • Significant amount of awards and fellowships. ARC leadership in organising and grant funding for collaborative Laureate Fellow and Scientia leading significant research research. Total new grant funding Professor Justin Gooding was conference and workshops, for ACN members reached a record elected Fellow of the Australian numerous prizes, awards and high of $17M. Including NHMRC Academy of Science. Professor fellowships, together with a strong Program Grant APP1091261 2016- Maria Kavallaris was awarded the media profile to communicate our 2020 $7M+ awarded to Professors NHMRC Principal Research purpose and successes. Kavallaris, Gooding, et al. The aim Fellowship and inducted as a of the Program Grants scheme is to Fellow of the Australian Academy Some areas we would like to provide support for teams of high of Health and Medical Sciences highlight are: calibre researchers to pursue (AAHMS). Cyrille Boyer won the broad based, multi-disciplinary and ACS Biomacromolecules/ • Research productivity was collaborative research addressing Macromolecules Award and was extremely impressive in 2016 complex problems. awarded the LeFevre Memorial including high-impact papers in Prize by the Australian Academy of chemistry, polymer science and • Leadership and Science. It was also great medicine, with increasing focus on participation in the organisation of recognition that Cyrille was 3 promoted to Professor. Dr Jason • Our Centre researchers Centre going from strength to Xu from Professor Cyrille Boyer’s gave over 40 plenary, keynote or strength. We commend to you this group was awarded the prestigious invited talks at major international report on our activities and events ARC Future Fellowship. It is not conferences. Many of these talks and we look forward to reporting possible to list all the awards and were fully or partially financially on more exciting research and prizes in this highlight section, supported. successes in the future. more awards are listed in the main body of the report, clearly • It is tremendous that we indicating significant outside are actively hosting a large number recognition of the quality of of domestic and overseas visits to research being performed by ACN set up collaboration. Eminent researchers. visitors to the Centre include Professor George Whitesides from Justin Gooding • ACN researchers have Harvard University and Professor Centre Co-Director demonstrated significant Vince Rotello from University of interactions with the media; at the Massachusetts Amherst. forefront has been Professor Justin Gooding and team with numerous • ACN is attracting increasing numbers of young interviews and press releases talents to our research team. In relating to “A Paper Based Sensor Maria Kavallaris 2016 alone, 9 fresh talents joined for Monitor Sun Exposure”. There Centre Co-Director the team including Associate was also great media coverage of Phoebe Phillips, Joshua McCarroll, Professor John McGhee, whose Cyrille Boyer, Maria Kavallaris’ research explores arts-led modes journal paper “New cancer of visualising complex scientific and biomedical data using the 3D nanomedicine reduces pancreatic tumour growth”. Media reached CGI techniques. over 3 million people in Australia Cyrille Boyer In Summary, 2016 has seen our alone. Centre Co-Director Dr Parisa Sowti Khiabani wearing a UV-sensitive skin patch developed by the Gooding Group 4 At a Glance Our People 18 Members incl 7 Self-Funded 4 Associate 10 Self-Funded Research Members Fellows Fellows 8 Administration 73 Honours and 15 PostDocs and Technical PhD Students Staff Research Output Over $17M new funding to 113 Journal Publications, 7 14 journal publications with fund 30+ projects book chaptors and 3 patents impact factors >10 commencing in 2016 47 collaborating Over 40 Plenary, Keynote and organisations, including 3 17 interdisciplinary research Invited talks at major from China, 5 from USA, 12 projects international conferences, from Europe and 27 from many with financial support Australia & New Zealand Numerous awards, prizes and 36 visitors (including 22 15 memberships on Editorial honours, including Eureka international) visited ACN for Boards Prize finalist and 2 collaboration Fellowships Approx. 40 seminars, oral ACN hosted 7th International Over 80 media articles presentations and poster NanoMedicine Conference (including TV & Radio) both presentations at universities, where many ACN researchers in Australia and overseas symposiums and meetings contributed lectures 5 Professor Cyrille Boyer and his PhD student Sivaprakash Shanmugam grinding spinach leaves to extract chlorophyll (from plants) to make photosensitive functional polymers. 6 Research 7 2016 New Grant Funding Total new funding for ACN members’ research has reached a record level of over $17M in 2016. Below is a list of ACN funding highlights. NHMRC Program Grant, APP1091261, ARC LIEF Projects, LE160100033, ARC Discovery Projects, Kavallaris, Gooding, et al. Precision Cyrille Boyer, et al. Equipment for DP160102681, William Donald. nanomedicine-based diagnostics and Advanced Surface Analysis. (2016). Rapid, ultra-sensitive protein therapeutics for refractory $500,000 structure elucidation by mass malignancies. (2016-2020). spectrometry. (2016-2018). $299,700 $7,088,520 NHMRC Equipment Grant (APP9000322): Live cell TIRF ARC Linkage Projects, LP160100573, Cancer Council Program Grant, PG16- microscope for HILO applications. Pall Thordarson, et al. Scaling 01, Kavallaris et al. Improving Gaus K, Kavallaris M, Phillips P, et al. manufacture of three-dimensional outcomes for children with leukaemia (2016). $390,000 microstructures for the medical through molecular targeted devices industry. (2016-2019). therapies. (2016-2020). $2,249,946 Cancer Council NSW project grant, $228,186 Phoebe Phillips, Joshua McCarroll, NHMRC Project Grant, APP1100202, Cyrille Boyer, et al. Reprogramming Cancer Institute NSW Career Elizabeth Hinde, et al. Regulation of the tumour microenvironment by Development Fellowship, Joshua ERK driven cell proliferation by the therapeutically targeting heat shock McCarroll. Nanomedicine-based treatment for lung cancer.(2016-).