
Dr Roger Liang
Senior Lecturer
School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy (Pharmacy and Experimental Pharmacology)
- Email:roger.liang@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone:(02) 4985 4959
Career Summary
Biography
Dr Liang was trained as a pharmaceutical scientist and has since developed well-equipped research capabilities and leadership in the cross-disciplinary field of advanced drug delivery and nanomedicine. Dr. Liang completed his PhD in Pharmacy from the University of Queensland. His doctoral research theme was to develop nanoparticulate delivery systems for subunit vaccines, which spanned a range of fields including medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical formulation, and immunology. Toward the end of his PhD, Dr Liang started to engage in research at the interface between polymer science and drug delivery and had gained hands-on experience in a variety of polymerisation and bioconjugation techniques. Upon completion of PhD, Dr Liang took up a postdoctoral position at UQ to investigate the biological interactions and toxicity of precisely engineered nanoparticles. This research had led to some key fundamental discoveries that resulted in several publications in the premium journals including ACS Nano, Nature Nanotechnology, Nanomedicines etc. During this time, Dr Liang was also a research teaching academic at School of Pharmacy and committed to teaching pharmacy undergraduates. After that, Dr Liang joined the Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design in University of New South Wales, and his research was to develop a platform technology for the efficient delivery of albendazole towards better anti-cancer treatment. In 2011, Dr Liang accepted a lecturer position to establish drug delivery research group at the School of Biomedical Science and Pharmacy in University of Newcastle.
Research Expertise
Dr Liang’s current research centres on advanced drug delivery and nanomedicine, which are at the interface of multidisciplinary fields including chemical & molecular engineering, materials science, chemistry, biotechnology and medicine. His research mainly involves developing novel biomaterials, utilizing self-assembly strategies to formulate biomaterials into desired nano-, micro- and macroscopic structures, and studying applications of these engineered structures for disease treatment and diagnosis.
Teaching Expertise
I mainly teach into pharmaceutics and pharmacy practice within Master of Pharmacy program. In addition, I also deliver guest lectures into Bachelor of Biomedical Science program in the field of drug delivery.
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Queensland
Keywords
- Biomaterials
- Drug delivery
- Nanomedicine
- Pharmaceutics
- Pharmacy Practice
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
Title | Organisation / Department |
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Senior Lecturer | University of Newcastle School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy Australia |
Senior Lecturer | University of Newcastle School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy Australia |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Journal article (30 outputs)
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2020 |
Chen E, Han S, Song B, Xu L, Yuan H, Liang M, Sun Y, 'Mechanism investigation of hyaluronidase-combined multistage nanoparticles for solid tumor penetration and antitumor effect', International Journal of Nanomedicine, 15 6311-6324 (2020) © 2020 Chen et al. Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a major component of extracellular matrix (ECM) and its over expression in tumor tissues contributes to the increase of inte... [more] © 2020 Chen et al. Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a major component of extracellular matrix (ECM) and its over expression in tumor tissues contributes to the increase of interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) and hinders the penetration of nanoparticles into solid tumors. Materials and Methods: We here reported a tumoral microenvironment responsive multi-stage drug delivery system (NPs-EPI/HAase) which was formed layer by layer via electrostatic interaction with epirubicin (EPI)-loaded PEG-b-poly(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(2-guanidinoethylmethacrylate) (mPEG-PDPA-PG, PEDG) micelles (NPs-EPI) and hyaluronidase (HAase). In this paper, we focused on the hyaluronidase-combined nanoparticles (NPs-EPI/HAase) for tumor penetration in tumor spheroid and solid tumor models in vitro and in vivo. Results: Our results showed that NPs-EPI/HAase effectively degrade the HA in ECM and facilitate deep penetration of NPs-EPI into solid tumor. Moreover, NPs-EPI mainly employed clathrin-mediated and macropinocytosis-mediated endocytic pathways for cellular uptake and were subsequently directed to the lysosomes for further drug release triggered by proton sponge effect. Compared with NPs-EPI, the HAase coating group showed an enhanced tumoral drug delivery efficacy and inhibition of tumor growth. Conclusion: Overall, our studies demonstrated that coating nanoparticles with HAase can provide a simple but efficient strategy for nano-drug carriers to enhance solid tumor penetration and chemotherapeutic efficacy.
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2020 |
Kan S, Hariyadi DM, Grainge C, Knight DA, Bartlett NW, Liang M, 'Airway epithelial-targeted nanoparticles for asthma therapy', AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LUNG CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY, 318 L500-L509 (2020)
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2019 |
Du C, Liang Y, Ma Q, Sun Q, Qi J, Cao J, et al., 'Intracellular tracking of drug release from pH-sensitive polymeric nanoparticles via FRET for synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy', JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY, 17 (2019) [C1]
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2019 |
Ge R, Cao J, Chi J, Han S, Liang Y, Xu L, et al., 'NIR-guided dendritic nanoplatform for improving antitumor efficacy by combining chemo-phototherapy', International Journal of Nanomedicine, Volume 14 4931-4947 (2019) [C1]
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2017 |
Shargh VH, Hondermarck H, Liang M, 'Gelatin-albumin hybrid nanoparticles as matrix metalloproteinases-degradable delivery systems for breast cancer therapy', Nanomedicine, 12 977-989 (2017) [C1] © 2017 Future Medicine Ltd. Aim: To develop matrix metalloproteinase-responsive gelatin-albumin hybrid nanoparticles encapsulating a selective tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA)... [more] © 2017 Future Medicine Ltd. Aim: To develop matrix metalloproteinase-responsive gelatin-albumin hybrid nanoparticles encapsulating a selective tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) inhibitor GNF-5837 (Gel-Alb-GNF HNPs) and to demonstrate their anticancer effects in breast cancer. Methods: Gel-Alb-GNF HNPs were prepared using a pH-controlled complexation process from cationic gelatin, dextran sulfate and albumin-bound GNF-5837. The anticancer activities of Gel-Alb-GNF HNPs were tested in a panel of subtype-specific breast cancer cell lines. Results: Gel-Alb-GNF HNPs (~130 nm) displayed excellent stability and matrix metalloproteinase-triggered drug release. Compared with GNF-5837 alone, Gel-Alb-GNF HNPs not only significantly enhanced the antiproliferative and anti-invasive effects but also restored the apoptosis of cancer cells. Conclusion: Gel-Alb-GNF HNPs may be adaptable for stand-alone therapies or used in combination with traditional chemotherapies for breast cancer treatment.
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2016 |
Shargh VH, Hondermarck H, Liang M, 'Antibody-targeted biodegradable nanoparticles for cancer therapy', Nanomedicine, 11 63-79 (2016) [C1] © 2016 Future Medicine Ltd. The use of nanotechnology has great potentials to revolutionize the future cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this context, various nanoparticles (NPs) h... [more] © 2016 Future Medicine Ltd. The use of nanotechnology has great potentials to revolutionize the future cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this context, various nanoparticles (NPs) have been developed for targeted delivery of diagnostic/therapeutic agents to the tumor sites, which thus result in greater efficacy and much less side effects. The targeting property of NPs is often achieved by functionalizing their surface with tumor-specific ligands, such as antibodies, peptides, small molecules and oligonucleotides. In this review, we will discuss recent progress in the multifunctional design of antibody-targeted NPs with a special focus on liposomal, polymeric and protein-based delivery systems.
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2016 |
Shargh VH, Hondermarck H, Liang M, 'Albumin hybrid nanoparticles loaded with tyrosine kinase A inhibitor GNF-5837 for targeted inhibition of breast cancer cell growth and invasion.', Int J Pharm, 515 527-534 (2016) [C1]
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2015 |
Noorani L, Stenzel M, Liang R, Pourgholami MH, Morris DL, 'Albumin nanoparticles increase the anticancer efficacy of albendazole in ovarian cancer xenograft model', Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 13 (2015) [C1]
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2014 |
Jiang Y, Liang M, Svejkar D, Hart-Smith G, Lu H, Scarano W, Stenzel MH, 'Albumin-micelles via a one-pot technology platform for the delivery of drugs', Chemical Communications, 50 6394-6394 (2014) [C1]
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2014 |
Noorani L, Pourgholami MH, Liang M, Morris DL, Stenzel M, 'Albendazole loaded albumin nanoparticles for ovarian cancer therapy', European Journal of Nanomedicine, 6 227-236 (2014) [C1] © 2014 by De Gruyter 2014. Albendazole (ABZ), a well-established antiparasitic drug, has been shown to suppress tumor growth in a number of preclinical models of cancer. However, ... [more] © 2014 by De Gruyter 2014. Albendazole (ABZ), a well-established antiparasitic drug, has been shown to suppress tumor growth in a number of preclinical models of cancer. However, the low solubility of ABZ limits its use as a systemic anticancer agent. To enable systemic administration, we have formulated ABZ into albumin nanoparticles with a size range of 200-300 nm, which were cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to stabilize the nanoparticles and to introduce pH-responsive features. Drug release studies demonstrated that about 20% of ABZ was released at neutral pH within a week in comparison to 70% at slightly acidic condition (pH 5). Cellular uptake studies using ovarian cancer cells indicated that nanoparticles were internalized efficiently within 1 h of incubation. Further, cell proliferation results demonstrated that albumin nanoparticles alone showed no cytotoxicity to both normal and cancer cells. In contrast, the drug-loaded nanoparticles exhibited cellular toxicity and high killing efficacy to cancer cells compared to normal cells. Collectively, our results suggest that these albumin nanoparticles may hold great potentials as ABZ carriers for cancer therapy.
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Show 27 more journal articles |
Conference (4 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
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2015 |
Shargh VH, Hondermarck H, Liang M, 'ENHANCING THE EFFICACY OF TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITORS THROUGH BIO-POLYMERIC ALBUMIN HYBRID NANOPARTICLES IN BREAST CANCER', ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY (2015) [E3]
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2014 |
Shargh VH, Hondermarck H, Liang M, 'MULTIFUNCTIONAL NANOMEDICINES BASED ON ALBUMIN FOR TARGETED BREAST CANCER THERAPY', ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY (2014) [E3]
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2012 |
Zhao Y, Liang M, Kim Y, Tan X, Zhang L, Stenzel MH, 'Development of core-crosslinked micelles for drug delivery system', Advanced Materials Research, Hong Kong (2012) [E1]
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Show 1 more conference |
Other (7 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
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2016 | Liang M, 'Enhanced anticancer activity of tyrosine kinase inhibitor GNF-5837 via tumor responsive gelatinalbumin hybrid nanoparticles', (2016) [O1] | ||
2015 | Liang M, 'Albumin-dextran-chitosan hybrid nanoparticle enhances the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitor GNF-5837 in breast cancer', (2015) [O1] | ||
2015 | Liang M, 'Albumin based nanoparticles can increase the efficiency of Trk inhibitor GNF-5837 in breast cancer', (2015) [O1] | ||
Show 4 more others |
Grants and Funding
Summary
Number of grants | 11 |
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Total funding | $2,049,190 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20202 grants / $1,684,326
Development of nanopharmaceutical strategies for the sterilization of domestic cats and dogs$1,679,326
Funding body: Found Animals Foundation Inc
Funding body | Found Animals Foundation Inc |
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Project Team | Professor Lee Smith, Professor Lee Smith, Laureate Professor John Aitken, Doctor Roger Liang, Kari (CHJ) Albers-Wolthers, Dr Pamela Brown |
Scheme | Michelson Grants in Reproductive Biology |
Role | Investigator |
Funding Start | 2020 |
Funding Finish | 2022 |
GNo | G1800032 |
Type Of Funding | C3212 - International Not for profit |
Category | 3212 |
UON | Y |
RNAi nanomedicine for coronavirus infection $5,000
Funding body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
Funding body | Hunter Medical Research Institute |
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Project Team | Associate Professor Nathan Bartlett, Doctor Roger Liang |
Scheme | Research Grant |
Role | Investigator |
Funding Start | 2020 |
Funding Finish | 2020 |
GNo | G2000216 |
Type Of Funding | C3112 - Aust Not for profit |
Category | 3112 |
UON | Y |
20192 grants / $119,000
Microfluidic Nanoparticle Synthesis$114,000
Funding body: University of Newcastle
Funding body | University of Newcastle |
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Project Team | Roger Liang |
Scheme | Equipment Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2019 |
Funding Finish | 2019 |
GNo | |
Type Of Funding | Internal |
Category | INTE |
UON | N |
Computational Drug Design$5,000
Funding body: University of Newcastle
Funding body | University of Newcastle |
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Project Team | Roger Liang, Adam McCluskey |
Scheme | New Course Initiative Funding |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2019 |
Funding Finish | 2019 |
GNo | |
Type Of Funding | Internal |
Category | INTE |
UON | N |
20181 grants / $28,000
Therapeutic Targeting of Long Noncoding RNA REG1CP for Colorectal Cancer Treatment$28,000
Funding body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
Funding body | Hunter Medical Research Institute |
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Project Team | Doctor Roger Liang, Associate Professor Lei Jin, Professor Xu Dong Zhang |
Scheme | Project Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2018 |
Funding Finish | 2018 |
GNo | G1801350 |
Type Of Funding | C3120 - Aust Philanthropy |
Category | 3120 |
UON | Y |
20172 grants / $140,364
Novel epithelial targets and targeting strategies to prevent asthma exacerbations$136,364
Funding body: Asthma Australia
Funding body | Asthma Australia |
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Project Team | Associate Professor Nathan Bartlett, Conjoint Professor Peter Wark, Doctor Roger Liang, Professor Darryl Knight |
Scheme | National Research Program |
Role | Investigator |
Funding Start | 2017 |
Funding Finish | 2018 |
GNo | G1601217 |
Type Of Funding | C3111 - Aust For profit |
Category | 3111 |
UON | Y |
Nanoparticle-mediated mitochondrial delivery of antioxidants for asthma therapy$4,000
Funding body: Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle
Funding body | Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle |
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Project Team | Dr Roger Liang, Prof Darryl Knight, Dr Nathan Bartlett, A/P Christopher Grainge |
Scheme | Strategic Pilot Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2017 |
Funding Finish | 2018 |
GNo | |
Type Of Funding | Internal |
Category | INTE |
UON | N |
20152 grants / $31,000
Improving the effectiveness of a new treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)$25,000
Funding body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
Funding body | Hunter Medical Research Institute |
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Project Team | Associate Professor Kathryn Skelding, Doctor Mengna Chi, Associate Professor Nikki Verrills, Doctor Roger Liang |
Scheme | Project Grant |
Role | Investigator |
Funding Start | 2015 |
Funding Finish | 2015 |
GNo | G1600224 |
Type Of Funding | Grant - Aust Non Government |
Category | 3AFG |
UON | Y |
A supramolecular platform toward mitochondria-targeted nanomedicines$6,000
Funding body: Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle
Funding body | Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle |
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Project Team | Dr Roger Liang |
Scheme | Faculty Pilot Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2015 |
Funding Finish | 2016 |
GNo | |
Type Of Funding | Internal |
Category | INTE |
UON | N |
20141 grants / $1,500
4th Annual World Congress of Nanoscience and Technology, Qingdao, P.R.China, 23 - 31 October 2014$1,500
Funding body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Health and Medicine
Funding body | University of Newcastle - Faculty of Health and Medicine |
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Project Team | Doctor Roger Liang |
Scheme | Travel Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2014 |
Funding Finish | 2014 |
GNo | G1400985 |
Type Of Funding | Internal |
Category | INTE |
UON | Y |
20121 grants / $45,000
Novel biomaterials and drug delivery $45,000
Funding body: The Faculty of Health Science / The University of Newcastle / Australia
Funding body | The Faculty of Health Science / The University of Newcastle / Australia |
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Project Team | Dr Roger Liang |
Scheme | Startup funding |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2012 |
Funding Finish | 2013 |
GNo | |
Type Of Funding | Internal |
Category | INTE |
UON | N |
Research Supervision
Number of supervisions
Current Supervision
Commenced | Level of Study | Research Title | Program | Supervisor Type |
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2021 | PhD | Targeting Mitochondrial ROS in Airway Epithelial Cells to Prevent Virus Induced Disease in Asthma and COPD | PhD (Pharmacy), College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle | Principal Supervisor |
2020 | PhD | Electrical Stimulation Properties of Carbon Nanotubes (SWNT and MWNT) for Enhanced Delivery of Wound Healing Agents | PhD (Materials Science & Eng), College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
2020 | PhD | Microfluidic-assisted synthesis and development of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery | PhD (Pharmacy), College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle | Principal Supervisor |
2019 | PhD | Novel Utilisation of Nanotechnology in Drug Discovery | PhD (Pharmacy), College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle | Principal Supervisor |
2017 | PhD | Development of a Novel Injectable Chemical Agent for the Sterilisation of Cats and Dogs | PhD (Biological Sciences), College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
2016 | PhD | Development of Airway Epithelial Cell Targeted Nanoparticles Loaded with TLR7 agonist for Asthma Therapy | PhD (Pharmacy), College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle | Principal Supervisor |
Past Supervision
Year | Level of Study | Research Title | Program | Supervisor Type |
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2019 | Honours | Microfluidic synthesis of functional nanoparticles for biomedical applications | Pharmacy, The University of Newcastle | Principal Supervisor |
2017 | PhD | Multifunctional Nanomedicines Based on Albumin for Targeted Breast Cancer Therapy | PhD (Pharmacy), College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle | Principal Supervisor |
Dr Roger Liang
Position
Senior Lecturer
School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy
College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing
Focus area
Pharmacy and Experimental Pharmacology
Contact Details
roger.liang@newcastle.edu.au | |
Phone | (02) 4985 4959 |
Fax | (02) 4921 7903 |
Office
Room | MS117 |
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Building | Medical Science Building |
Location | Callaghan University Drive Callaghan, NSW 2308 Australia |