Guojun Chen Receives Canada Research Chair in Biomaterials and Biomacromolecule Delivery

The Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) announced the Spring 2024 research professorship recipients. The CRCP is a national initiative which invests significant funding for Chairholders at Canadian postsecondary institutions. This cycle, $25 million was invested in Quebec institutions, with $10.9 million supporting McGill researchers.

Prof. Guojun Chen, principal investigator at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI), was among the newly appointed chairholders as the Canada Research Chairholder in Biomaterials and Biomacromolecule Delivery. The focus of his research on biomaterials and biomacromolecule delivery has the potential to unlock new classes of treatments for many diseases and represents the scientific excellence which the CRCP strives to recognize.

Biomacromolecules are large, complex biological molecules with great potential to treat many diseases. They include DNA, RNA, proteins, and complexes which can be used for genetic editing. However, to use them effectively as medicine, they need to be delivered precisely to the right tissues and cells. Due to their size and complexity, there are major challenges in creating systems that can deliver these molecules efficiently and without side effects. Professor Chen’s research brings together chemistry, materials science, nanotechnology, and bioengineering to create advanced delivery systems for these molecules. By using this multidisciplinary approach, he aims to greatly improve the materials used for delivery and to better understand how these materials interact with the body.

His appointment as the Canada Research Chairholder in Biomaterials and Biomacromolecule Delivery underscores the importance of interdisciplinary research at the GCI to advance medical treatments. As his research progresses, it holds the promise of transforming therapeutic approaches and improving patient outcomes across a range of diseases.