Dr Lan Xiao
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Mech., Medical & Process Engineering
Biography
Dr Lan Xiao is an outstanding early career researcher in the field of biomedical engineering, with a particular interest in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. She has more than ten years' experience in this field. She has been developing biomaterial (especially nanomaterial) based therapeutic approaches to modify the immune system to generate a microenvironment to benefit either tissue regeneration or tumour inhibition.The immune system plays a central role in maintaining the body's physiology by recognising and clearing the aliens (e.g., pathogens) and pathological cells (e.g., apoptosis/necrosis cells, tumour cells), by modulating the local environment to fit with different circumstances (e.g., tissue regeneration). However, under pathological conditions (such as ageing, diabetes, obesity, tumour, etc.), the immune system is dysregulated and unable to exert its functions, exacerbating disease pathogenesis. Therefore, Dr Xiao's research aims to develop biomaterial-based therapeutic approaches to restore the functions of the abnormal immune system and generate an ideal environment to meet the body’s needs. For example, in cancer, the cancer cells turn the immune cells from an “attacking” phenotype into a “healing” phenotype, thereby generating an environment facilitating tumour growth, and Dr Xiao's research is to utilise biomaterial to reverse this phenotype change to train these immune cells to attack tumour cells. On the other hand, in diabetes, the immune cells are maintained at an “attacking” phenotype and thereby generating a detrimental environment for tissue healing in diabetic patients; thereby, Dr Xiao's research is to “tame” these immune cells into a “healing” phenotype using biomaterial, to facilitate tissue regeneration in diabetic patients.
To achieve the goal mentioned above, Dr Xiao's research mainly focuses on three directions: 1) the biomedical part to uncover the multi-cell interplays during physiological/pathological processes (e.g., bone remodelling, tissue regeneration. bone destruction, etc.) and the underlying molecular cross-talk; 2) the material science part to develop functional substitute materials for bone/ligament replacement, regenerative materials for bone/blood vessel/neuronal/skin tissue healing, and nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems; 3) the multi-discipline part of dissecting the material-cell interplay, how this interplay determines tissue healing/tumour growth, and the associated molecular mechanisms. Dr Xiao’s research has shifted the biomedical and material science paradigm, making her an emerging leading international expert in the field of biomedical engineering.
Personal details
Positions
- Visiting Fellow
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Mech., Medical & Process Engineering
Research field
Biomedical Engineering, Other Physical Sciences
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology)
Publications
- Cai, P., Lu, S., Yu, J., Xiao, L., Wang, J., Liang, H., Huang, L., Han, G., Bian, M., Zhang, S., Zhang, J., Liu, C., Jiang, L. & Li, Y. (2023). Injectable nanofiber-reinforced bone cement with controlled biodegradability for minimally-invasive bone regeneration. Bioactive Materials, 21, 267–283. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/235504
- Lu, S., Chen, W., Wang, J., Guo, Z., Xiao, L., Wei, L., Yu, J., Yuan, Y., Chen, W., Bian, M., Huang, L., Liu, Y., Zhang, J., Li, Y. & Jiang, L. (2023). Polydopamine-Decorated PLCL Conduit to Induce Synergetic Effect of Electrical Stimulation and Topological Morphology for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration. Small Methods, 7(2). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/237659
- Chen, A., Lu, H., Cao, R., Zhu, Y., Li, Y., Ge, R., Zhang, S., Li, Y., Xiao, L., Su, L., Zhao, J., Hu, H. & Wang, Z. (2022). A novel MMP-responsive nanoplatform with transformable magnetic resonance property for quantitative tumor bioimaging and synergetic chemo-photothermal therapy. Nano Today, 45. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/233505
- Li, Y., Chen, C., Jiang, J., Liu, S., Zhang, Z., Xiao, L., Lian, R., Sun, L., Luo, W., Tim-yun Ong, M., Yuk-wai Lee, W., Chen, Y., Yuan, Y., Zhao, J., Liu, C. & Li, Y. (2022). Bioactive Film-Guided Soft–Hard Interface Design Technology for Multi-Tissue Integrative Regeneration. Advanced Science, 9(15). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/231588
- Gao, W., Xiao, L., Mu, Y. & Xiao, Y. (2022). Targeting macrophage endocytosis via platelet membrane coating for advanced osteoimmunomodulation. iScience, 25(10). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/235583
- Xiao, L., Ma, Y., Crawford, R., Mendhi, J., Zhang, Y., Lu, H., Zhao, Q., Cao, J., Wu, C., Wang, X. & Xiao, Y. (2022). The interplay between hemostasis and immune response in biomaterial development for osteogenesis. Materials Today, 54, 202–224. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/228951
- Xiao, L., Wei, F., Zhou, Y., Anderson, G., Frazer, D., lim, Y., Liu, T. & Xiao, Y. (2020). Dihydrolipoic acid-gold nanoclusters regulate microglial polarization and have the potential to alter neurogenesis. Nano Letters, 20(1), 478–495.
- Xu, C., Xiao, L., Cao, Y., He, Y., Lei, C., Xiao, Y., Sun, W., Ahadian, S., Zhou, X., Khademhosseini, A. & Ye, Q. (2020). Mesoporous silica rods with cone shaped pores modulate inflammation and deliver BMP-2 for bone regeneration. Nano Research, 13(9), 2323–2331. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/202751
- Xiao, L., Zhou, Y., Friis, T., Beagley, K. & Xiao, Y. (2019). S1P-S1PR1 signaling: the 'sphinx' in osteoimmunology. Frontiers in Immunology, 10, 1–18. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/130676
- Xiao, L., Zhou, Y., Zhu, L., Yang, S., Huang, R., Shi, W., Peng, B. & Xiao, Y. (2018). SPHK1-S1PR1-RANKL axis regulates the interactions between macrophages and BMSCs in inflammatory bone loss. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 33(6), 1090–1104. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/224016
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Lan, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).