PRESENT APPOINTMENTS

• Associate Professor, Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China

EDUCATION

• 2006, B.Sc. (Veterinary), Shenyang Agricultural University
• 2011, Ph. D. (Geobiology), Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

(1) Biomineralization and magnetic proteins. I am interested in genetic engineering biomineralization protein for biomimetic synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles. In the past few years, we successfully synthesized magnetoferritin (M-HFn) nanoparticles using genetic engineering human H-chain ferritin as a biotemplate. The core of M-HFn nanoparticle is composed of magnetite nanoparticle with narrow size distribution and high crystallity. Recently, we also use ferritin and other protein to synthesize other different kinds of magnetic nanoparticles.

(2) Nanomagnetism. I especially interested in magnetic characterization of various biomineralized magnetic nanoparticles and their application in nanodevices such as magnetic sensor.

(3) Nanomedicine. My group is investigating of biomagnetic nanoparticles in early diagnosis and therapy of cancer. Recently, we found that The avascular microscopic breast and brain tumors (<1–2 mm diameter) can be noninvasively detected by designing human heavy-chain ferritin (HFn)-based nanoparticles as molecular probes for near-infrared fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging. The intravenously injected HFn-based nano?particles (Cy5.5–HFn and M–HFn) can cross the endothelium, epithelium, and blood–brain barriers and be internalized into tumor cells.

1. NSFC project: Determination of pre-exponential frequency factor for magnetite nanoparticles, 2013-2015, P.I.  
2. National R&D Projects for Key Scientific Instruments project: Synthesis and application of magnetic nanomaterials, 2013-2016,  
3. NSFC key project: Geomagnetic effects on magnetotactic bacteria, 2014-2018 

(* correspondence author)

1. Cao C Q*, Wang X X , Cai Y, Sun L, Tian L X, Wu H, He X Q, Lei H, Liu W F, Chen G J, Zhu R X, Pan Y X*, Targeted in vivo imaging of microscopic tumors with ferritin-based nanoprobes across biological barriers, Advanced Materials, 16(26): 2566-2571.
2. Walls M G, Cao C Q, Kui Y Z*, Li J H, Che R C, Pan Y X, Identification of ferrous-ferric Fe3O4 nanoparticles in recombinant human ferritin cages, Microscopy and Microanalysis, 19(4), 835-841, 2013.
3. Fan K L, Cao C Q, Pan Y X, Lu D, Yang D L, Feng J, Song L N, Liang M M*, Yan X Y*, Magnetoferritin nanoparticles for targeting and visualizing tumour tissues, Nature Nanotechnology, 7(7), 459-464, 2012.
4. Tian L X, Cao C Q, Pan Y X*, The influence of reaction temperature on biomineralization of ferrihydrite cores in human H-ferritin, BioMetals, 25(1), 193-202, 2012.
5. Cao C Q, Tian L X, Liu Q S, Liu W F, Chen G J, Pan Y X*, Magnetic characterization of non-interacting, randomly oriented, nanometer-scale ferrimagnetic particles, Journal of Geophysical Research, 115(B07103), DOI: 10.1029/2009jb006855, 2010.
6. Tian L X, Cao C Q, Liu Q S, Pan Y X, Low-temperature magnetic properties of horse spleen ferritin. Chinese Science Bulletin, 55(27-28), 3174-3180, 2010.