Materials Horizons Emerging Investigator Series: Professor Lu Han, Ocean University of China, China

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Abstract

Our Emerging Investigator Series features exceptional work by early-career researchers working in the field of materials science.

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Lu Han (ORCID: https://0000-0003-1581-4691) is a Professor in the School of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ocean University of China (OUC). She received her PhD from Southwest Jiaotong University in June 2017 and subsequently joined the INM-Leibniz Institute for New Materials in Saarbrücken, Germany, as a postdoctoral researcher in September 2017 under a collaborative project focused on “functional dynamic hydrogels.” Over her career, she has led five research projects, published over 40 journal articles including 9 ESI Highly Cited Papers, and authored 10 patents. She has been recognized as a Stanford-Elsevier Top 2% Global Scientist for three consecutive years. Professor Han serves on the Editorial Board of Biomaterials Translational and Chinese Chemical Letters (CCL). Currently, she leads the Shandong Provincial Young Investigators Innovation Team, dedicated to designing polyphenol-functionalized bioadhesive hydrogels and smart nanodrug delivery systems for applications in precise tissue repair, antibacterial/anti-inflammatory/anti-tumor therapy, and related areas.

Read Lu Han's Emerging Investigator Series article ‘Reactive oxygen species-responsive prodrug nanomicelle-functionalized Lactobacillus rhamnosus probiotics for amplified therapy of ulcerative colitis’ (https://doi.org/10.1039/D5MH00114E) and read more about her in the interview below:

MH: Your recent Materials Horizons Communication demonstrates a probiotic protective prodrug nanomicelle for ulcerative colitis treatment. How has your research evolved from your first article to this most recent article and where do you see your research going in future?

LH: My journey started with probiotics as living therapeutics, then evolved into engineering smarter delivery systems. This Communication represents a quantum leap—we've created probiotic biohybrids that deliver therapeutics at the disease site. In the future? We’re pushing toward autonomous nanosystems that adapt treatment intensity based on real-time inflammation biomarkers.

MH: What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?

LH: Witnessing the cooperation between bacteria and nanodrug! Our micelles leverage probiotics as biological catalysts—not just carriers. It's thrilling to see them produce therapeutics on demand in inflamed colons.

MH: In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

LH: How do nanocarriers communicate with microbiota? Can we predict microbiome–nano interfaces? How will chronic exposure affect host–microbe symbiosis? How do we quantify therapeutic success beyond symptom remission?

MH: What do you find most challenging about your research?

LH: The unpredictable battlefield of the human gut—pH shifts, enzymes, motility, and 40 trillion microbes! Designing materials to survive that requires both stubbornness and humor.

MH: In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?

LH: Find me at the Chinese Biomaterials Congress (October, Shaoxing).

MH: How do you spend your spare time?

LH: I like to go hiking in the mountains or on walks with my dog along the coast with a cup of coffee in hand. Both make me full of energy and patience.

MH: Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

LH: Fail fast but document slower. Early in projects, note every ‘failed’ observation meticulously—your best insights hide there. This worked when I met my first project.

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