Stem cell “magic potion” with promise
Award-winning biomedical engineer Dr Jiao Jiao Li is using the healing powers of stem cells to treat chronic diseases like osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that wears down cartilage and bone in the joints. With no known cure, this debilitating condition causes pain, mobility problems and increased risk of death for more than 2.2 million Australians.
Medical researchers around the world have been exploring stem cell therapies as a new avenue to try to treat the condition.
“Current clinical trials of stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis may show short-term improvements, but struggle to show consistent results or sustained, long-term benefits, even after multiple injections,” Dr Li explains.
“Rather than using stem cells directly, I’m examining the potential of the nano-scale packages they produce.
"These nano-scale packages contain a wealth of bioactive factors which I’m looking to optimise as an off-the-shelf ‘magic potion’ for treating osteoarthritis."
- Dr Jiao Jiao Li
"In parallel, I’m looking into biomaterial solutions to effectively deliver these into patients.”
Dr Li is continuing to refine her techniques using a multi-disciplinary approach.
“It’s exciting to be working at the frontiers of stem cell science, where we’re bringing together the diverse fields of engineering, nanotechnology, computational science and regenerative medicine to help people in need,” she says.
Her promising research follows on from her earlier work in co-inventing a ceramic-based bone scaffold to help regrow sections of bone using a patient’s own resident stem cells. It has been licensed by an Australian orthopaedics company to translate to the clinic.
She hopes her new discoveries will follow a similar trajectory to be progressing to clinical studies in the next eight years.
Dr Li’s innovations have attracted major national awards, most recently a 2023 Metcalf Prize from the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia, only awarded to one male and one female stem cell researcher each year, and the Australia China Alumni Award for Research and Science.
These followed from her Premier’s Prize for NSW Early Career Researcher of the Year (Physical Sciences) and Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year in 2022.
“I’m so proud to be the first female bioengineer to win the Metcalf Prize this year," Dr Li says.
"I’m passionate about increasing gender and cultural diversity in STEM careers, and love talking to young people about how rewarding it can be."
“When I do school outreach, I like to let kids know that they’re just like stem cells. A stem cell can grow into any kind of cell in the human body.
"Likewise, kids can choose to be whatever they want to be when they grow up – irrespective of their gender and skin colour.”