Overview
Topic status: We're looking for students to study this topic.
Project Summary
Cancer is a leading cause of death in Australia with an estimated 114, 000 new cases of cancer diagnosed in 2010. More than $3.8 million in direct health systems costs are spent on cancer per year in Australia. Despite the increase in the number of cancer cases reported in Australia, the survival rate for many common cancers has increased significantly over the past two decades, owing largely to its early detection and treatment options. Thus, there is an expanding demand for in vivo screening and imaging techniques that facilitate cancer diagnosis, determine the efficacy of cancer treatment and detect recurrence. This proposal aims to develop biocompatible, ratiometric and highly sensitive thermal sensors. The advantages of these materials are that they will immediately aid in the early detection of cancer, as well as provide a library of sensitive in vivo probes that will be used as the basis for future targeted drug delivery.
Expected outcomes, applications and/or benefits
The student will be involved in synthesizing a library of star polymers using controlled free radical polymerisation. They will then take these polymers and examine their efficiency as thermo-responsive sensors over a range of temperatures using instrumental techniques such as fluorescence. Students will gain synthetic skills in synthetic polymer chemistry and instrumental experience with compound characterisation (NMR, GPC, MS, IR, fluorescence, UV/vis etc).
Required student skills/experience
Students require an undergraduate GPA of 5.5 or better and should have a minimum of chemistry as a minor within their degree. Interests in polymer or synthetic organic chemistry would be preferable.
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scholarship
- Supervisors
- QUT
- Organisational unit
Science and Engineering Faculty
- Research area
- Keywords
- cancer, tumour, nanothermometers
- Contact
- Contact the supervisor for more information
Dr Kathryn Fairfull-Smith
Dr James Blinco
