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Dr Zan Dai

Dr Zan Dai

Conjoint Lecturer

Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, University of Queensland, 2022

M.S., Chemical Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology (China), 2016

Medicine & Health
School of Clinical Medicine

Dr. Zan Dai is a multidisciplinary researcher specializing in nanomedicine, cancer immunotherapy, and biomaterials engineering. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Queensland in 2022, where he developed immunomodulating nanomedicines to enhance cancer immunotherapy. During his postdoctoral fellowship at The University of Queensland, Dr. Dai led projects focused on innovative therapeutic strategies, including nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, while mentoring Ph.D. students and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations.

Currently, at the Children’s Cancer Institute, Dr. Dai’s research centers on lipid nanoparticles and CAR-T cell technology for treating brain tumors and aggressive pediatric cancers. His work addresses critical challenges in therapeutic delivery and efficacy, advancing the development of safer, more effective treatments for these challenging diseases.
E-mail
zdai@ccia.org.au
Location
Children's Cancer Institute, Level 1 Lowy Cancer Research Centre
  • Journal articles | 2025
    Wang Q; Dai Z; Iyer J; McCallum F; Zhang C; Peng H; Searles DJ; Fu C; Whittaker AK, 2025, 'Iron Bisphosphonate Metal-Organic Framework Nanoparticles as an Magnetic Resonance Imaging Probe for Spatial Detection of Helicobacter pylori.', ACS Nano, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c06095
    Journal articles | 2023
    Shi Y; Dai Z; Wang Y; Luo J; Cai L; Tang J; Yu C; Yang Y, 2023, 'Engineering Crystallinity Gradients for Tailored CaO2 Nanostructures: Enabling Alkalinity-Reinforced Anticancer Activity with Minimized Ca2+/H2O2 Production', Nano Letters, 23, pp. 10657 - 10666, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01963
    Journal articles | 2022
    Dai Z; Wang Q; Tang J; Qu R; Wu M; Li H; Yang Y; Zhen X; Yu C, 2022, 'A Sub-6 nm MnFe2O4-dichloroacetic acid nanocomposite modulates tumor metabolism and catabolism for reversing tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment and boosting immunotherapy', Biomaterials, 284, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121533
    Journal articles | 2022
    Dai Z; Wang Q; Tang J; Wu M; Li H; Yang Y; Zhen X; Yu C, 2022, 'Immune-regulating bimetallic metal-organic framework nanoparticles designed for cancer immunotherapy', Biomaterials, 280, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.121261
    Journal articles | 2021
    Zhang M; Dai Z; Theivendran S; Gu Z; Zhao L; Song H; Yang Y; Yu C, 2021, 'Nanotechnology enabled reactive species regulation in biosystems for boosting cancer immunotherapy', Nano Today, 36, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nantod.2020.101035
    Journal articles | 2020
    Dai Z; Tang J; Gu Z; Wang Y; Yang Y; Yang Y; Yu C, 2020, 'Eliciting Immunogenic Cell Death via a Unitized Nanoinducer', Nano Letters, 20, pp. 6246 - 6254, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c00713
    Journal articles | 2019
    Tang H; Dai Z; Xie X; Wen Z; Chen R, 2019, 'Promotion of peroxydisulfate activation over Cu0.84Bi2.08O4 for visible light induced photodegradation of ciprofloxacin in water matrix', Chemical Engineering Journal, 356, pp. 472 - 482, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2018.09.066
    Journal articles | 2019
    Zhao S; Dai Z; Guo W; Chen F; Liu Y; Chen R, 2019, 'Highly selective oxidation of glycerol over Bi/Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55 heterostructure: Dual reaction pathways induced by photogenerated 1O2 and holes', Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 244, pp. 206 - 214, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.11.047
    Journal articles | 2018
    Liu Q; Li J; Zhong X; Dai Z; Lu Z; Yang H; Chen R, 2018, 'Enhanced antibacterial activity and mechanism studies of Ag/Bi2O3 nanocomposites', Advanced Powder Technology, 29, pp. 2082 - 2090, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apt.2018.05.015
    Journal articles | 2017
    Ding J; Dai Z; Qin F; Zhao H; Zhao S; Chen R, 2017, 'Z-scheme BiO1-xBr/Bi2O2CO3photocatalyst with rich oxygen vacancy as electron mediator for highly efficient degradation of antibiotics', Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 205, pp. 281 - 291, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2016.12.018
    Journal articles | 2017
    Ding J; Dai Z; Tian F; Zhou B; Zhao B; Zhao H; Chen Z; Liu Y; Chen R, 2017, 'Generation of VBr• VBi‴ VO•• defect clusters for 1O2 production for molecular oxygen activation in photocatalysis', Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 5, pp. 23453 - 23459, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c7ta08117k
    Journal articles | 2017
    Wang R; Cheng G; Dai Z; Ding J; Liu Y; Chen R, 2017, 'Ionic liquid-employed synthesis of Bi2E3 (E = S, Se, and Te) hierarchitectures: The case of Bi2S3 with superior visible-light-driven Cr(VI) photoreduction capacity', Chemical Engineering Journal, 327, pp. 371 - 386, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2017.06.119
    Journal articles | 2017
    Zhang Q; Dai Z; Cheng G; Liu YL; Chen R, 2017, 'In-situ room-temperature synthesis of amorphous/crystalline contact Bi2S3/Bi2WO6 heterostructures for improved photocatalytic ability', Ceramics International, 43, pp. 11296 - 11304, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2017.05.328
    Journal articles | 2016
    Dai Z; Qin F; Zhao H; Ding J; Liu Y; Chen R, 2016, 'Crystal Defect Engineering of Aurivillius Bi2MoO6 by Ce Doping for Increased Reactive Species Production in Photocatalysis', ACS Catalysis, 6, pp. 3180 - 3192, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.6b00490
    Journal articles | 2016
    Tian F; Zhao H; Dai Z; Cheng G; Chen R, 2016, 'Mediation of valence band maximum of BiOI by Cl incorporation for improved oxidation power in photocatalysis', Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 55, pp. 4969 - 4978, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.6b00847
    Journal articles | 2016
    Tian F; Zhao H; Li G; Dai Z; Liu Y; Chen R, 2016, 'Modification with Metallic Bismuth as Efficient Strategy for the Promotion of Photocatalysis: The Case of Bismuth Phosphate', ChemSusChem, 9, pp. 1579 - 1585, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201600489
    Journal articles | 2015
    Dai Z; Qin F; Zhao H; Tian F; Liu Y; Chen R, 2015, 'Time-dependent evolution of the Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55/Bi2MoO6 heterostructure for enhanced photocatalytic activity via the interfacial hole migration', Nanoscale, 7, pp. 11991 - 11999, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c5nr02745d
    Journal articles | 2015
    Zhong X; Dai Z; Qin F; Li J; Yang H; Lu Z; Liang Y; Chen R, 2015, 'Ag-decorated Bi2O3 nanospheres with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities for water treatment', RSC Advances, 5, pp. 69312 - 69318, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c5ra12779c
  • Theses / Dissertations |
    Dai Z, Development of immunomodulating nanomedicines for efficient cancer immunotherapy, http://dx.doi.org/10.14264/801ecb9

2023    Molecular Systems Design & Engineering ECR Oral Presentation Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry

2022     Outstanding Self-Financed Chinese Students Abroad, China

2018     Australia International Ph.D. Scholarship, Australia.

2015     National Postgraduate Scholarship, China.