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Dr Felicity Han

Research Fellow

Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
f.han@uq.edu.au
+61 7 334 63807

Overview

I am a Research Fellow and Leader in Pain Relief Innovation at AIBN, UQ. My research interests sit at the interface of drug delivery and the pain field. My overarching research goal is to improve the quality of day to day life of patients suffering from chronic pain, by applying nanotechnology to the development of novel highly effective pain-killer products for improving chronic pain management. I am looking for highly motivated postgraduate students.

I also enjoy volunteering within the academic community, most notably as Head of the SBMS ECR Committee and Treasurer for The Queensland Chinese Association of Scientists and Engineers (QCASE). I am currently serving as guest editor of Pain Research and Management.and JoVE Methods Collection.

Research Interests

My research is focusing on nano-based drug formulation and development to improve chronic pain management. I have a broad and unique background in both pharmacology and drug delivery systems, with specific expertise in the development of novel drug products and testing their analgesic efficacy and safety including pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. To date, I have established five different techniques to produce painkiller–loaded nanoparticles and nanofibers aimed at improving pain relief for patients where currently available pain-killers either lack efficacy or produce dose-limiting side-effects. For example, there is a small and very potent peptide that has been on the market as a chemical for over 10 years but which cannot be used as a therapeutic due to its short half-life and poor oral bioavailability. In the form of my nanoparticles, that peptide has the potential to become an oral treatment for improving pain management in patients whose pain is currently poorly alleviated by clinically used pain-killers. I have significant expertise in the use of rodent pain models to assess novel analgesics, and I have received excellent training in conducting research in accordance with the stringent requirements of the Quality Management System (quality accreditations (GLP and ISO17025) from NATA). Together, my knowledge, skills and experience will facilitate the efficient translation of my research from the bench to the clinic.

The current focus of the lab is on the development of drug-products to solve one of the largest unmet medical needs in the pain field through use of sustainable materials. 1) We are developing multifunctional sutures including biodegradable pain relief sutures. 2) We are developing my innovative novel nanoparticles, which deliver innate-immune targeting peptides for the treatment of cancer and cancer-related pain. We are establishing a platform for the development of safe, effective delivery for other small molecule peptide drugs in general to pave their way to clinical trials. 3) Our research also investigates the role of C5a and C3a, estrogen, etc. in the pathogenesis of chronic pain including neuropathic pain, cancer-related pain, low back pain and OA pain.

We work in collaboration with other leading Australian and international researchers to stay at the forefront of the drug delivery systems field and the pain field. We also provide preclinical evaluation of novel compounds and formulations.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Publications

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Grants

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Supervision

  • A novel treatment for chronic pain

    Doctor Philosophy

  • Recovery of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in the treatment of diabetes in rodents

    Doctor Philosophy

  • Understanding the role of fluorine in advanced energy applications

    Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • Development of a simple, rapid, and direct insulin measurement device for better management of diabetes

    People with diabetes clinically present as hyperglycaemia. The aim of the treatment of diabetes is to control glucose levels. The only hormone-reducing glucose levels is insulin. Simultaneous measurement of both glucose and insulin would allow better glucose control and avoid abnormal blood insulin levels, such as extreme hyperinsulinemia or hypoinsulinemia. Currently, various easy and rapid glucose monitors are available to provide reliable glucose quantification and are used to manage hyperglycemia in diabetes. However, there is an urgent need for convenient and rapid real-time insulin detection devices.

  • Investigating the role of innate immune receptors in chronic pain

    Accumulating evidence suggests that the complement cascade is strongly activated and upregulated in a variety of neuropathological-related pain, but the mechanisms underlying the complement-dependent modulation of neuronal activity are still unknown. This project will be using knock-out mice to generate new knowledge of the role and changes in levels of specific components of the complement system during the progression of major pain conditions, and provide a significant understanding of the underlying mechanisms and consequences of these changes. In addition, the success of this project will potentially lead to the development of a novel therapeutic drug target for the treatment of these major pain conditions and peripheral neuropathic pain.

  • Development and Assessment of the anti-HIV activity of reformulation enfuvirtide

    In collaboration with expertise at QIMR, this project will Evaluation of Enfuvirtide-loaded Nanoparticles for Oral Administration – New Treatment Option for HIV/AIDS

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book Chapter

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Development of a simple, rapid, and direct insulin measurement device for better management of diabetes

    People with diabetes clinically present as hyperglycaemia. The aim of the treatment of diabetes is to control glucose levels. The only hormone-reducing glucose levels is insulin. Simultaneous measurement of both glucose and insulin would allow better glucose control and avoid abnormal blood insulin levels, such as extreme hyperinsulinemia or hypoinsulinemia. Currently, various easy and rapid glucose monitors are available to provide reliable glucose quantification and are used to manage hyperglycemia in diabetes. However, there is an urgent need for convenient and rapid real-time insulin detection devices.

  • Investigating the role of innate immune receptors in chronic pain

    Accumulating evidence suggests that the complement cascade is strongly activated and upregulated in a variety of neuropathological-related pain, but the mechanisms underlying the complement-dependent modulation of neuronal activity are still unknown. This project will be using knock-out mice to generate new knowledge of the role and changes in levels of specific components of the complement system during the progression of major pain conditions, and provide a significant understanding of the underlying mechanisms and consequences of these changes. In addition, the success of this project will potentially lead to the development of a novel therapeutic drug target for the treatment of these major pain conditions and peripheral neuropathic pain.

  • Development and Assessment of the anti-HIV activity of reformulation enfuvirtide

    In collaboration with expertise at QIMR, this project will Evaluation of Enfuvirtide-loaded Nanoparticles for Oral Administration – New Treatment Option for HIV/AIDS

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

Pain, Peripheral neuropathic pain, Cancer chemotherapy induced neuropathy (CIPN), Osteoarthritis, Intrathecal catheter implantation, Preclinical drug development, Animal handling, Immunohistochemistry, Drug delivery, PLGA microparticles, in vivo optical imaging, Nanomedicine, Cell culture, Rodents pain model, Pain behavioral

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: B-8835-2015

ORCID: 0000-0001-7260-5832

Scopus ID: 56443352400

Google Scholar ID:

Personal Profile: Link

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