Overview

There is a renewed impetus to develop bionanomaterials from renewable sources due to the negative impact of using raw materials from traditional carbon sources. New opportunities in the use of sustainable and renewable materials for various advanced engineering applications exist, and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) offer a new route to product development and formulations in many industrial sectors.

The talk will focus on the potential of a series of novel biocompatible sequestrant nanoparticle for the control of obesity and cholesterol in human. High plasma cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) is a direct consequence of obesity and is becoming a major public health concern.

Bile acid sequestrants, such as cholestyramine, are positively charged ingestible resins that have long been used for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. However, it has many side effects, such as increasing the triglycerides level, constipation, flatulence, and abdominal pain due to its hydrophobic nature and large dose required for treatment.

An alternative sequestrant that could overcome the above-mentioned problems is cationic cellulose nanocrystals (CCNC) with varying degrees of surface charge densities, which can be synthesised by quaternising the surface hydroxyl groups of cellulose nanocrystals with different short/long chain compounds or polymers. The CCNC nanoparticles displayed excellent binding and affinity for bile salts, exceeding the performance of current bile acid sequestrants such as cholestyramine. Thus, these natural materials are attractive and promising systems for the control of obesity and cholesterol in human.

Speaker

Michael KC Tam, Professor, University of Waterloo, Canada

Michael obtained his BEng and PhD degrees in chemical engineering from Monash University, Australia. He spent 18 months on a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University Canada and subsequently taught at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore for 15 years.

In June 2007, he joined the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo as a tenured full professor and holds the position of University Research Chair in the field of functional colloids and sustainable nanomaterials. He is an active member of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology.

His research interests are in colloids, self-assembly systems, polymer-surfactant interactions, and drug delivery systems. He has published more than 400 journal articles in various fields of polymer science and engineering. His total citation exceeds 25,072 and his H-index is 81. He is also an associate editor of ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering.

The material presented at this event has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter's own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the Biochemical Engineering SIG. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Time

11:00–12:00 MYT.

Seats are limited due to the venue's capacity. Please register to attend by 14 April 2023.