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The USJ Doctoral School offers a doctoral programme that is a research-oriented degree aimed at developing advanced theoretical and practical research skills in a specific area of knowledge. Doctoral candidates complete main modules in research methods and foundation knowledge in their proposed research field (1 Year) and then work with a supervisor to complete their doctoral thesis (2 to 4 Years).

Doctoral candidates are expected to develop original scientific work that contributes to a significant theoretical advance in the field. The doctoral programme’s main objective is to prepare highly qualified professionals capable of developing R&D activities in private and public organisations or to develop an academic career.

The University of Saint Joseph in Macau is a hub of multicultural innovation, inheriting centuries of Macau’s history in-between Asia, Europe and the Lusophone world, embracing more than 40 nationalities among professors, students and university staff. Our Doctoral Programme fosters a multi-disciplinary, inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary research environment, supported by an academic team with solid backgrounds in their specialist fields.

Transdisciplinarity aims at integrating the natural, social and health sciences in a humanities context and transcending their traditional boundaries to resolve real-world and complex problems by providing different perspectives on problems to reach holistic descriptive answers to comprehensive research questions.

Doctoral students, being an indispensable part of this inspiring environment, are thus, invited to come on board and take part in this extraordinary voyage of discovering the world through scientific questioning and systematic research while being fully aware that our success as a Doctoral Programme and Research Community can only be accomplished with your active participation and enthusiasm.

On behalf of the Doctoral Programme, we are looking to welcome you to USJ!

USJ Doctoral Programme Student Handbook Download file >

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DOCTORAL PROGRAMME THESES

The first cohort of the USJ doctoral programme at USJ started their journey in 2007, and since then, a focus on research excellence has been part of the University’s academic Life.

The USJ doctoral programme has graduated more than 40 students, and all doctoral theses concluded since 2011 are publicly available on the Doctoral Thesis page .

ADMISSIONS TO THE DOCTORAL PROGRAMME

New applicants to the Doctoral Programme can choose their thesis topic and supervisor from a pool of Open Doctoral Thesis Topics at the admission stage.

There is also the possibility of applicants proposing an original Thesis Topic. The Doctoral Programme Coordination team will assess the proposal during the admission process.

DOCTORAL PROGRAMME SPECIALISATIONS

The Doctoral Programme is organised under five Academic Fields ( Humanities , Social Sciences, Administration, Science, and Information Systems ), offering specialisations in the following areas of academic research: Global Studies; History; Religious Studies; Education; Psychology; Business Administration; Government Studies; Science; Information Systems.

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Last Updated: January 19, 2024 at 5:43 pm

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CCBS at the University of Macau is dedicated to enhancing interdisciplinary cognitive and brain sciences and translating discoveries into solutions for health and society. For PhD students who are interested in having a cross-disciplinary research plan, CCBS will be an excellent platform to study neuroscience-related research topic, and you are welcome to apply for PhD Programmes that are led by CCBS members .  For Programme details, please refer to Doctoral Degree Programmes.

PhD programmes that involve the participation of CCBS members are listed below:

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Signature Publications

• YT Xiang, Y Yang, W Li, L Zhang, Q Zhang, T Cheung, CH Ng. Timely mental health care for the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is urgently needed. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2020, 7 (3), 228-229.
• LN Zeng, Y Yang, Y Feng, X Cui, R Wang, BJ Hall, GS Ungvari, L Chen, YT Xiang. The prevalence of depression in menopausal women in China: a meta-analysis of observational studies. 2019, Journal of affective disorders 256, 337-343.
• F Wang, S Wang, QQ Zong, Q Zhang, CH Ng, GS Ungvari, YT Xiang. Prevalence of comorbid major depressive disorder in Type 2 diabetes: a meta‐analysis of comparative and epidemiological studies. 2020, Diabetic Medicine 36 (8), 961-969.

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UNC-Chapel Hill graduate programs ranked among best in nation

U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 “Best Graduate Schools” list named multiple Carolina graduate degree programs in the top 10, including UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at No. 1.

Numerous UNC-Chapel Hill graduate programs received high rankings – 20 were among the top 10 in the nation in their respective categories – as part of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” list.

For the third time in a row (2016, 2020 and 2024), UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is the top pharmacy school in the U.S. The rankings are based on a survey of peers from accredited pharmacy schools across the country and are published every four years.

The Gillings School of Global Public Health was ranked second out of 213 schools and programs of public health in the U.S. for the seventh consecutive rankings period. The Gillings School has also maintained its position as the top public school of public health and has been ranked among the top schools and programs of public health by U.S. News since the magazine first ranked public health schools in 1987. U.S. News & World Report does not rank all graduate programs each year.

“Carolina’s graduate programs are exceptional, and it’s no surprise that our schools are ranked so highly among peer institutions by U.S. News and World Report, as well as other measures,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Interim Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “Carolina is always proud to be recognized for our dedication to a world-class education. Every one of our graduate programs contributes to making us the leading public research university.”

Altogether, 23 programs increased their rankings, including multiple programs in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, School of Nursing, School of Education, Kenan-Flagler Business School and UNC School of Law.

“These rankings represent the hard work of our faculty, staff and students who are dedicated to moving Carolina forward through their incredible efforts each day,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Provost Chris Clemens. “It is gratifying to see this public recognition of their commitment to the mission of our graduate programs in research, teaching and public service. Even more than in the rankings, the proof of their work is the quality of our students and our passionate alumni who lead in so many fields.”

The School of Social Work moved up three spots in the latest rankings to a tie for fourth overall and is tied for second among public universities.

This year marks the first time since U.S. News & World Report began ranking law schools in 1987 that UNC School of Law has reached No. 20 out of 196 law schools. The UNC School of Law is also the seventh-ranked public law school.

Additional UNC-Chapel Hill rankings for 2024 follow.

Please note: Not all graduate programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report every year. For a complete list of rankings for UNC-Chapel Hill, visit the U.S. News & World Report website .

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

Gillings school of global public health.

• First public, second overall

Specialty Areas

• Health Behavior, second
• Biostatistics, third
• Epidemiology, third
• Health Policy and Management, fourth
• Environmental Health Science, eighth

School of Social Work

• Tied for fourth

School of Nursing

• Nursing Schools, Master’s Programs, tied for eighth
• Nursing Schools – DNP Programs, tied for 17th
• Nursing Master’s, Administration/Management, fourth
• Nursing Master’s, Nurse Practitioner: Psychiatric/Mental Health, fourth
• Nursing Master’s, Nurse Practitioner: Family, tied for sixth
• Nursing DNP, Psychiatric/Mental Health, third
• Nursing DNP, Family, tied for sixth

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

• Tied for 20th
• Real Estate, ninth
• Accounting, tied for 13th
• Executive MBA, 14th
• Management, 16th
• Production Operations, 16th
• Finance, 20th
• Marketing, tied for 25th

UNC School of Education

• Tied for 25th
• Special Education, tied for 13th
• Elementary Teacher Education, tied for 14th
• Educational Psychology, tied for 15th
• Education Policy, tied for 16th
• Secondary Teacher Education, tied for 17th
• Educational Administration, tied for 17th
• Curriculum and Instruction, tied for 22nd

College of Arts and Sciences

Computer science.

• Overall, 27th

Public Affairs

• Overall, 39th (Master of Public Policy)

As part of the public affairs category, U.S. News and World Report ranked Carolina programs and specialty areas based in the School of Government and the College of Arts and Sciences’ department of public policy.

School of Government

• Public Affairs, 23rd (Master of Public Administration)
• Local Government Management, second
• Leadership, 10th
• Public Finance, 18th

UNC School of Law

• Legal Writing, tied for 20th
• Criminal Law, tied for 20th
• Tax Law, tied for 20th
• Business/Corporate Law, tied for 22nd
• Clinical Training, tied for 23rd
• Contracts/Commercial Law, 23rd
• Health Care Law, tied for 28th
• Constitutional Law, tied for 29th
• Environmental Law, tied for 45th
• International Law, tied for 52nd
• Intellectual Property Law, tied for 53rd
• Trial Advocacy, tied for 118th

UNC School of Medicine (additional Rankings will be available at a later date)

• Audiology, tied for third
• Occupational Therapy, fifth
• Physical Therapy, 11th
• Speech Language Pathology, 12th

A UNC School of Social Work delegation saw how their research helped a nonprofit create jobs in rural areas.

A message from the interim chancellor: Celebrating our students

In a campus email, Lee H. Roberts wrote it's a privilege to interact with students and inspiring to learn about the diverse range of interests they're working on.

Career Treks event highlights public professions

School of Education students networked in Raleigh with representatives from 11 state agencies.

Global studies scholar aspires to diplomacy

After earning a master’s degree, Kat Goodpaster became assistant director of Carolina’s Russian Flagship Program.

Public Service Awards go to 7 people, 2 groups

The Carolina Center for Public Service honored work on health disparities, refugee aid and more.

Broadway writer brings new comedy to PlayMakers

Fresh off the debut of her musical adaptation of “The Notebook,” Bekah Brunstetter ’04 will debut “The Game” in Chapel Hill.

EFC steers NC breweries to sustainability

Improving water usage in the craft beer industry is the focus of a UNC Environmental Finance Center project.

Healthcare Sparks inspires interest in STEM

Medical resident Danae Smart created a program to encourage minority students to pursue health careers.

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$318M NYC Community Parks Initiative is associated with increased use of urban parks in low-income neighborhoods

A new study in JAMA Network Open led by researchers from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy observed 28,322 park users across 54 neighborhood parks and found a clear association between park renovation and park use in low-income neighborhoods in New York City (NYC).

As the global trend toward urbanization continues, two thirds of the world’s population is predicted to live in cities by 2050. Amid the noise, stress, and crowding of city life, urban parks have the potential to provide opportunities for physical activity, mitigate heat and pollution, lower stress, and improve mental and social well-being, all of which can decrease the prevalence of chronic diseases.

Previous public health studies have established that parks in underserved areas with higher proportions of Black and Latino residents with low income historically receive less funding and have fewer physical activity resources than those in predominantly White and wealthier neighborhoods across the US. In addition, residents in lower- income areas have been shown to engage in less physical activity than those in higher-income areas. In NYC, despite the ubiquity of parks, disparities in park quality and use persist.

To address these disparities by ensuring parks equity, the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks) launched the Community Parks Initiative (CPI) in 2014, a $318 million redesign and renovation of 67 neighborhood parks. Selected parks were historically underinvested, having received less than $250,000 in capital investment in the past 20 years.  The selected sites were situated in densely populated and growing neighborhoods with higher-than-average concentrations of residents living in high poverty.  Across CPI sites, the park renovations improved aesthetics, vegetation, shade, seating areas, accessibility, children’s play equipment, exercise and sports amenities, and community gathering spaces.  Community engagement was integral to planning for the park renovations.  NYC residents participated in community input sessions to provide insights into how they would like to use the parks and ideas about what types of amenities could be incorporated into the renovation.

As the CPI rolled out in waves, it provided a unique opportunity to examine the effects of park redesign and renovation on park use and physical activity on an unprecedented citywide scale. The current study evaluated the association of the CPI from baseline to 1 year post park renovation (or approximately 3 years post baseline) on changes in park use and level of physical activity in parks.

Thirty-three intervention parks were selected from the CPI program.  Twenty-one control parks were selected based on alignment with CPI program criteria and matched sociodemographics.

Overall, the CPI was associated with a greater net number of park users at intervention parks over time. This was a result of both increased use of CPI parks and decreased use of control parks, with some differences by age and sex.

Among youths (defined as age 20 and below), park use remained steady over time in intervention parks while it decreased significantly in control parks. Among adults, park use increased significantly at intervention parks but remained unchanged at control parks.

There was a greater net number of both female and male park users at intervention vs. control parks over time, due to a marginal increase in female users at intervention parks and significant decreases of users of both sexes at control parks.

The CPI led to a net positive increase of users engaged in sitting or standing at intervention vs control parks over time. Sitting or standing increased significantly at intervention parks but did not change at control parks. Furthermore, there was a net positive number of users engaged in walking or vigorous physical activity at intervention vs control parks over time. Park users engaging in walking or vigorous physical activity did not change significantly at intervention parks but decreased significantly at control parks.

In this study, park redesign and renovation were associated with increased park use in low-income neighborhoods, offering a rare opportunity to evaluate initiatives on park use and park-based physical activity in NYC communities that are heavily Black and Latino. The large number of park sites and longitudinal design with matched controls are major strengths in this study. While the findings suggest a positive impact on park use, especially among adults, more research is needed for understanding park-related physical activity. This study may help inform future urban development and public health policies regarding public parks.

“We are thrilled to see the evidence highlighting what we already knew, that investing strategically in our local parks increases New Yorkers’ use of them. CPI is a cornerstone parks equity program that is fundamental to our agency’s work, and we recently announced 20 new sites that will go through renovation, as part of this program’s expansion efforts,”  said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue . “We extend our gratitude to the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, and our partners, for developing research focused on the significance of enhancing public parks across the five boroughs. The investment in our local parks benefits all New Yorkers because they add critical spaces for wholesome recreation, fostering community cohesion, and connecting with nature.”

“Thanks to the CPI, this is one of the largest studies on how improving urban parks affects park use,” says senior author Distinguished Professor Terry Huang. “While we found a significant net increase in park users at intervention vs. control parks over time, the study also suggested that more efforts may be needed, such as culturally tailored programming, to promote physical activity in parks. Improving the physical environment is the first step; we now need to leverage it to also enhance the social environment to ultimately improve population wellbeing.”

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Athletic training graduate to work with professional, pre-professional athletes

April 15, 2024  | Erin Bluvas,  [email protected]

“USC has an incredible reputation for their sport science programs, and the athletic training program has diverse clinical opportunities with a final spring semester immersion allowing you to go anywhere in the world to complete,” says Kimberly Nardi , who graduates in May with an M.S. in Athletic Training from the Department of Exercise Science . “Some of the hundreds of sites offered include professional, collegiate, high school, orthopedic or specialty clinics, industrial etc. Other programs cannot match the widespread network that USC Athletic Training has created.”

Nardi experienced a diverse array of these clinical placements during her program – including USC Women’s Soccer and the Savannah Ghost Pirates’ professional ice hockey team. She also conducted research with Prisma Pediatric Concussion Clinic – circling back to the reason she entered into sports medicine in the first place.

Growing up in Maryland, Nardi experienced concussions as a high school athlete, leading her to study neuroscience at Christopher Newport University. As an undergrad, she discovered the athletic training profession, which ticked all of her boxes for a career in sports and health care and opened her eyes to how she could make an impact on patients.

During her master’s program, Nardi found mentors in exercise science/athletic training faculty Jim Mensch , Amy Fraley , Zachary Winkelmann and Ph.D. in Exercise Science student Courtney Meyer .

“I do not know if I can pick one and talk about just them because I would have too much to say; they all care about their students, and I never once felt like a number or that I was alone,” she says. “When I was struggling one semester, I reached out and they all immediately were by my side helping me stand back up. I have a lot of love and appreciation for the USC Athletic Training program. They are incredible mentors and professors who have pushed me to become the best version of myself.”

She also loved living and learning at a university located in South Carolina’s capital city.

“It was easy to get around campus and make friends along the way,” Nardi says. “I will miss game days and the feeling of the entire city shutting down to support the university.”

We rehabilitate our patients from various injuries/surgeries and build powerful connections with our patients while working hard to provide them with the best care possible.

After graduating in May, the Professional Athletic Training Student Above and Beyond Award winner will begin working with professional and collegiate athletes at a performance-based sports complex in Georgia. She feels well-prepared for this role, particularly from her immersion experience with the Ghost Pirates that she is completing this semester.  

It’s the perfect path for Nardi, but it’s also one that many people are not familiar with. She’s discovered that people often confuse athletic training with personal training or other professions and has learned first-hand about the uniqueness of this career.

“We are there before, during and after injuries; this means we are the first responder to a scene sometimes, and we evaluate the patient to determine the next steps,” Nardi says. “We rehabilitate our patients from various injuries/surgeries and build powerful connections with our patients while working hard to provide them with the best care possible.”

Find Out More

Athletic Trainers are health care professionals employed in a variety of professional settings who strive to deliver the most advanced, evidence-based, comprehensive, and personalized health care services for the continued optimal performance of each physically active patient. 

Meet Our Class of 2024

The Arnold School is proud of our 2024 graduates, who will go on to change the world locally and globally. Learn about some of the other outstanding individuals who completed one of our 34 programs this year.

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

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Undergraduate Programmes: Tel : (+853) 8897-2203 E-mail : [email protected] Fax : (+853) 2882-5123 Address: E101, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau

Postgraduate Programmes: Tel : (+853) 8897-2343 E-mail : [email protected] Fax : (+853) 2882-5123 Address: E101, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau

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UM PhD Scholarship

The UM PhD Scholarship is applicable to students admitted from academic year 2023/2024 .

The UM PhD Scholarship (UMPS) is established by the University of Macau (UM) to attract excellent students in the world to pursue their PhD studies in the UM.

Eligibility

Anyone seeking full-time PhD degree studies at the UM is eligible to apply, regardless of nationality, ethnic background, or prior work experience.

Applicants should fulfill all general admission requirements for PhD degree programmes and any additional admission requirements for certain programmes.

Application Process

Applicants seeking full-time PhD study in the UM should submit application for UMPS simultaneously when submitting the online application to PhD programmes via the online application system.

Whether applicants will be awarded UMPS is subject to the final decision of the university-level selection committee.

Amount and Duration

UMPS provides each awardee with a monthly stipend of  MOP20,000  for a period up to  4 years .

Tuition fees will be offset by the monthly stipend before stipend disbursement.

Application for the UM PhD Scholarship and the UM PhD Teaching Research Assistant only available for admission in the 1 st semester. For more details, please refer to  Guidelines for the UM PhD Scholarship and the UM PhD Teaching Research Assistant .

For enquiry, please contact us via email at [email protected] or by phone at (853) 8822 4898.

The only Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology in China UM establishes internationally advanced precision medicine research platform

Eight years ago, the University of Macau (UM) began conducting research in precision oncology. Since then, it has brought together leading scholars from around the world to tackle the major challenges in treating common cancers with high incidence rates, and their work has yielded encouraging results. On 31 December 2020, the university received approval from the Ministry of Education (MoE) to establish a Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology (MoE-FSCPO). As the first national centre of its kind in Hong Kong and Macao, the MoE-FSCPO is committed to leading research and development in life sciences and medicine, especially cancer. A number of preliminary research platforms have been established and collaborations with local and mainland hospitals have been initiated, laying a solid foundation for the development of a leading international platform for precision medicine.

The Only Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology in China

By relying on the academic strengths of the ‘double first-class’ universities, the MoE actively establishes world-leading research platforms. Among the ‘double first-class’ universities that have received approval from the MoE to set up frontier science centres in key areas are Tsinghua University and Peking University.

To address the current challenges in cancer treatment, UM established the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) in 2013 and put together an interdisciplinary team in the faculty for cancer research and healthcare industry research. The team has been publishing ground-breaking studies, which has earned recognition not only from the academic community but also from the central government.

The MoE-FSCPO is the only frontier science centre in the field of precision oncology approved by the Ministry of Education. The establishment of the centre not only represents a breakthrough of UM in constructing a major national basic research platform, but also shows that the university has reached a new level in the field of precision medicine.

The research team in the MoE-FSCPO is comprised of leading scholars from UM’s Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, and Faculty of Science and Technology. They pursue cutting-edge fundamental cancer research and publish breakthroughs in high-impact international journals, attracting attention from the international medical community.

To establish a leading international platform for precision medicine, the MoE-FSCPO has established a number of research platforms in various fields, including cancer tissue and blood banks; multi-omics; big data analysis; high-throughput drug screening, research, and development; drug sensitivity tests; bio-nanomaterials; and animal models. The centre has also worked with local and mainland hospitals to test its research results. According to Prof. Chuxia DENG, a leading Chinese American scientist in the field of life sciences, who is also an internationally renowned expert in cancer research and dean of the FHS, the MoE-FSCPO is China’s only precision oncology centre approved by the Ministry of Education, and it is committed to becoming a leading international centre for innovative research and training of young researchers.

Focusing on Four Areas in Cancer Research

According to the international medical journal The Lancet, in 2020, China recorded 4.57 million new cancer cases, accounting for 23.7 per cent of the total number of cancer cases worldwide. There were also 3 million cancer deaths in China in that year, making it the world’s leading country in terms of new cancer cases and deaths. According to statistics from the Macau Statistics and Census Bureau, Macao had the largest number of deaths from malignant tumours in 2020, accounting for 38.5 per cent of the total number of deaths recorded that year.

For this reason, tackling challenges in treating common cancers with high incidence rates has become a top priority for cancer researchers at UM. According to Prof. Deng, the team has expanded its scope of research to include the prevention, onset, and metastasis of colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer, as well as drug resistance among patients of these cancers, in addition to its previous research on breast cancer. The team hopes that by solving key scientific problems, it can substantially improve the accuracy of cancer diagnosis and the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

At present, the MoE-FSCPO is working on four key areas: cancer onset and development, tumour microenvironment and immune regulation, cancer metastasis and drug resistance mechanisms, as well as the development of efficient drugs and personalised cancer treatments. The first area focuses on early diagnosis of tumours to improve the effectiveness of treatment. According to Prof. Deng, Macao has resources to become a large population-based cancer genetics research site given its major population composition of Han with relatively simple genetic background and the long life expectancy of the Macao citizens. The team plans to create a research database based on samples from the local population to improve the accuracy of early cancer diagnosis and prevent cancers caused by genetic mutations.

The second area UM researchers focus on is tumour microenvironment, which is a hot topic in cancer research. The tumour microenvironment is the internal environment in which tumour cells survive and develop, and by interfering with the immune cells in the tumour microenvironment, the team can inhibit cancer development and increase the destruction rate of tumour cells. The third area is a difficult one for cancer researchers, as the vast majority of tumours become drug-resistant after a period of time and most deaths are related to metastasis. The fourth area concerns the efficacy of cancer treatment and support for personalised treatment. ‘Conventional cancer treatment uses a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, which requires patients to undergo multiple rounds of physically damaging drug treatments and radiotherapy. We have made it our primary goal to realise personalised treatments, and by treating each individual on a case-by-case basis, we will be able to not only avoid wasting resources but also minimise the cost in terms of lost lives,’ says Prof. Deng.

Precision Medicine for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. Recurrence and metastasis are the main causes of breast cancer death, and there has been no effective personalised treatment strategy. In a study on breast cancer, a research team led by Prof. Deng and researcher Chen Ping made a breakthrough through collaboration with Kiang Wu Hospital, Conde S Januário Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, and Zhuhai People’s Hospital. The research team used patient-derived organoids (PDOs), in vitro drug screening, and other techniques to provide individualised treatment suggestions for breast cancer patients, especially those with advanced breast cancer.

UM researchers generated 99 organoid lines in vitro using tumour samples from breast cancer patients, and developed PDOs as a real-time platform for drug testing. The results showed that breast cancer PDOs could preserve the biological characteristics of primary tumours. PDO pharmaco-phenotyping showed striking variability in the PDO response to the drug treatment. The PDO chemosensitivity profile largely paralleled the retrospective clinical data of the corresponding patients. Finally, PDOs were applied to guide personalised therapy for six patients with advanced cancer, all of whom showed good responses.

Based on the above findings, the team proposed a novel personalised treatment strategy for breast cancer based on drug screening of PDOs, which is a new direction for cancer precision medicine with important clinical significance. The study has been published in Advanced Science, a top international journal with an impact factor of 16.8.

Removing Cancer Cells by Activating the Immune System

Precision oncology is a key area in UM’s research blueprint, which combines the university’s forward-looking research strategies with its cross-disciplinary strengths. The MoE-FSCPO has an interdisciplinary team comprised of leading experts in such areas as health sciences, traditional Chinese medicine, physics and materials, and technological engineering, to conduct basic research on common cancers, with cutting-edge technologies. One of the new directions in cancer treatment pursued by the interdisciplinary team is carbon nanodot cancer immunodiagnosis and treatment. This approach uses a carbon nanodot-based biotechnology to quickly and accurately deliver tumour-specific antigens to the body’s immune lymphatic system, which will then activate the patient’s own immune system to respond to the tumour by removing the cancer cells, thereby achieving a therapeutic effect on the tumour.

Prof. Zikang TANG, director of the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering and an internationally renowned leader in the field of nanoplasmonic materials, says that cancer is difficult to treat because cancer cells can ‘cunningly escape’ the immune system through an immune escape mechanism. ‘We have collaborated with Prof. Deng’s research team to study the use of a non-toxic, biocompatible carbon quantum dot to ‘facelift’ the proteins of cancer cells so that these cancer proteins no longer resemble normal proteins and can be recognised, engulfed, and antigenically presented by immune cells, in order to achieve a highly efficient immune response,’ he says.

The MoE-FSCPO has conducted extensive animal studies, and the results have demonstrated the power of this quantum biologic tumour immunology technology, which has achieved amazing therapeutic results. A patent application has been filed for the research results and this technology is being tested in clinical trials. ‘This interdisciplinary research project not only has enormous potential for clinical and commercial application, but also brings new hope to cancer patients,’ says Prof. Deng.

Developing a New Biomaterial to Address the Drawbacks of Radiotherapy

Traditional radiotherapy is recognised for its efficacy in treating cancer, but has certain drawbacks, such as the toxicity of high doses of X-rays to normal tissues and the inhibition of toxic substances in the tumour microenvironment during radiotherapy, which limits the effectiveness of radiotherapy. To address this challenge, a team led by Yunlu DAI, assistant professor of FHS and the MoE-FSCPO, has developed a new biomaterial, Hb@Hf-Ce6 nanoparticles, which can directly transport oxygen into deep tumour tissues, reversing the otherwise oxygen-deficient tumour microenvironment and improving the sensitivity of tumour cells to radiotherapy even at low doses. The metal-polyphenol coordination structure of this biomaterial introduces the heavy metal ions into the radiotherapy process and enhances the effectiveness of radiotherapy by generating long-wavelength light and reducing the side effects of toxicity on the human body. ‘Our studies have shown that this material enhances the effectiveness of radiotherapy and radio dynamic therapy, and kills cancer cells in a two-pronged way,’ says Prof. Dai.

In addition, Prof. Dai’s team has developed a gel material based on coordination nanoparticles, which can be applied to tumours in situ after surgery to ensure continuous release of drugs through the material to prevent cancer metastasis. ‘The introduction of PD-1 antibody protein into the structure of this material effectively inhibits distant metastasis of tumours cells into the lung,’ says Prof. Dai. Experiments on mice with ductal carcinoma in situ have shown that this new biomaterial is highly effective in inhibiting tumour growth and metastasis in the long term. The study has been published in Advanced Science.

New Anti-metastatic Therapies

The last thing a patient wants to hear in the fight against cancer is that it has metastasised. When circulating tumour cells (CTCs) try to spread from its original location into the blood vessels, most of them ‘die’ as if they have jumped into a fast stream, unable to withstand the shear stress of the blood flow. If the surviving CTCs succeed in forming metastatic tumours, they will cause death in 90 per cent of the patients. Therefore, it is important to investigate how CTCs survive and metastasise in the bloodstream in order to develop new anti-metastatic therapies. Through the study of molecular mechanisms, a team led by Qian LUO, professor of the FHS and the MoE-FSCPO, has identified a series of molecular targets, such as PKP1 and DSC2, that help CTCs form cell clusters in the circulatory system, thereby increasing their survival rate under the impact of blood circulation and enhancing their ability to metastasise.

‘CTCs survive by bonding together in the blood vessels. PKP1 and DSC2 are cell membrane bridging proteins, and when there are more of these bridging proteins, the CTCs can bond together,’ says Prof. Luo. According to her, the survival rate of CTCs is significantly increased when more of these powerful proteins are present, not just next to each other, but actually ‘hugging each other’ like a raft crossing a river. This finding provides new insights into how CTCs survive in the circulatory system. High expression of PKP1 and DSC2 has been positively correlated with tumour malignancy, and both can be detected in tumour samples from breast and lung cancer patients. This suggests that DSC2 and PKP1 could serve as new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the detection of metastatic CTCs. The study has been published in the prestigious international journal Science Advances (impact factor 14.14).

Precise Removal of Satellite Tumours

Tumours are often surrounded by small, unidentifiable satellite tumours that are difficult to identify and remove during surgery, while conventional imaging systems such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are unable to detect these tiny tumours. In view of this, a team led by Tzu-Ming LIU, professor of the FHS and the MoE-FSCPO, has developed an innovative imaging method, the oxygen-sensitive phosphor probe technique, which uses oxygen imaging to identify whether there are any satellite tumours in the vicinity of a primary tumour. Prof. Liu says: ‘Satellite tumours that remain in the body always pose a serious health risk. This fluorescent probe can be inserted into the tissue and emit a light signal where the tissue is deprived of oxygen, indicating the location of the tiny tumour. This enables doctors to accurately remove tumours that are not detected by medical imaging.’

The fluorescent molecular probe is easy to use and does not need to be pre-capped or modified with dendritic molecules. It can be placed directly into the bloodstream by intravenous injection. When the probe penetrates the blood vessel and binds to the collagen fibres surrounding the vessel, the tissue itself becomes an optical readout oxygen concentration metre. The team has conducted a number of in vivo trials, which have shown that the phosphorescent probe can continuously monitor oxygen concentration changes for over six hours, has good stability, and can accurately detect tumours with hypoxic characteristics. The study has been published in Advanced Science.

Souce:  My UM  e-version

UM establishes internationally advanced precision medicine research platform

UM has established a Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology with the approval of the Ministry of Education

A team led by Prof. Chuxia DENG (1st from right) aims to develop new therapies for common cancers with high incidence rates

UM researchers continue to produce groundbreaking research results

Prof. Zikang TANG

The cancer immunotherapy based on carbon-quantum-dots have enormous potential for clinical application and commercialisation.

Prof. Yunlu DAI

UM’s latest study can help develop new anti-metastatic therapies

Prof. Qian LUO

Prof. Tzu-Ming LIU

The oxygen-sensitive phosphor probe can accurately detect tumours with hypoxic properties