Demin liu, ph.d.
B.S. in chemistry from Xiamen University and Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Chicago. My Ph.D. work focused on 1) using nanoscale coordination polymers (NCPs) and polymeric micelles to deliver imaging contrast agents and chemotherapeutics to cancer cells, 2) developing liposomal nanocarriers for photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy, 3) the synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for energy storage. The main research accomplishments I made in graduate school revolved around engineering novel NCPs for cancer therapy and imaging. I have developed several NCP platforms for optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, as well as for the delivery of bisphosphonates, cisplatin, and oxaliplatin. These NCPs carry extremely high loadings of contrast agents and chemotherapeutics and target specifically to cancer cells. In particular, the NCPs that carry cisplatin and oxaliplatin showed remarkably extended blood circulation half-lives in mice. These formulations were evaluated on several tumor xenograft mouse models, including CT26 colon cancer, H460 non-small cell lung cancer, and AsPC-1 pancreatic cancer. NCPs showed superior potency and efficacy compared to free drugs. Further development of this NCP platform is ongoing in order to fully realize their clinical potential.
Besides chemistry, I'm passionate about scientific visualization. I believe pictures/videos really are worth more than a thousand words. So with my scientific knowledge and artistic skills, I hope I can create compelling images and animations and help scientists better present their ideas and research to the general public.
Selected Publications
- “Nanomedicine Application of Hybrid Nanomaterials Built from Metal-Ligand Coordination Bonds-Nanoscale Metal-organic Frameworks and Nanoscale Coordination Polymers.”
He, C. †; Liu, D. †; Lin, W. Chem. Rev. 2015, 115 (9), 11079. († co-first author) - “Self-assembled nanoscale coordination polymers with trigger release properties for effective anticancer therapy.”
Liu, D.; Poon, C.; Lu, K.; He, C.; Lin, W. Nature Communications 2014, 5, 4182. - “Theranostic Nanoscale Coordination Polymers for Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Bisphosphonate Delivery.”
Liu, D.; He, C.; Poon, C.; Lin, W. Journal of Materials Chemistry B 2014, 2, 8249. - “Metal-Organic Frameworks as Sensory Materials and Imaging Agents.”
Liu, D.; Lu, K.; Chris, P.; Lin, W. Inorganic Chemistry 2014, 53, 1916. - “Application of liposomal technologies for the delivery of platinum analogues in oncology.”
Liu, D.; He, C.; Wang, A.; Lin, W. International Journal of Nanomedicine 2013, 8, 3309. - “Rapid Energy Transfer in Non-porous Metal-Organic Frameworks with Caged Ru(bpy)32+ Chromophores: Oxygen Trapping and Luminescence Quenching.”
Kent, C. †; Liu, D. †; Ito, A.; Zhang, T.; Brennaman, M.K.; Meyer, T. J.; Lin, W. Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2013, 1, 14982. († co-first author) - “Metal-organic Frameworks as A Tunable Platform for Designing Functional Molecular Materials.”
Wang, C†; Liu,D.†; Lin,W. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2013, 135, 13222. († co-first author) - “A High Connectivity Metal-Organic Framework with Exceptional Hydrogen and Methane Uptake Capacities.”
Liu, D.; Wu, H.; Xie, Z.; Wang, S.; Li, Jing; Lin, W. Chemical Science 2012, 3, 3032. - “Coercing Bisphosphonates to Kill Cancer Cells with Nanoscale Coordination Polymers.”
Liu, D.; Kramer, S.; Huxford, R.; Wang, S.; Della Rocca, J.; Lin, W. Chemical Communications 2012, 448, 2668. - “Nanoscale Metal–Organic Frameworks for Biomedical Imaging and Drug Delivery.”
Della Rocca, J.; Liu, D.; Lin, W. Accounts of Chemical Research 2011, 44, 957. - “Phosphorescent Nanoscale Coordination Polymers as Contrast Agents for Optical Imaging.”
Liu, D.; Huxford, R. C.; Lin, W. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2011, 50, 3696-3700. - “Three-Dimensional Metal−Organic Frameworks Based on Tetrahedral and Square-Planar Building Blocks: Hydrogen Sorption and Dye Uptake Studies.”
Liu, D.; Xie, Z.; Ma, L.; Lin, W. Inorganic Chemistry 2010, 49, 9107-9109.