Hongjie Dai
Academic title: Chair Professor
Office: Room 304, Chong Yuet Ming Chemistry Building
Email: hjdai@hku.hk
Tel: +852 3910 2208
Fax: +852 2855 1254
Lab page: https://profiles.stanford.edu/hongjie-dai
HKU Scholars Hub: https://repository.hku.hk/cris/rp/rp03193
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yWdvb8YAAAAJ&hl=en
ORCID: 0000-0002-4905-4502
Research Interests
Nanoscience and nanomedicine; biomedical science andd engineering, near-infrared-II/short wavelength infrared (NIR-II/SWIR) molecular imaging for cancer and immunology; nano-vaccines
Biography
Dai is currently a Chair Professor of Chemistry at Hong Kong University and J. G. Jackson and C. J. Wood Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus at Stanford University. Dai has made fundamental contributions to nanosciences and nanomedicine. Dai developed widely adopted chemical vapor deposition for carbon nanotubes; invented the first electrical nanosensors using nanotube transistors; pushed nanotube transistors to the ballistic limit; pioneered nano-carbon biological applications for novel imaging and therapy; and pioneered the field of in vivo NIR-II/SWIR imaging.
Dai was born May 2, 1966, in Shaoyang City, Hunan Province of China. He received a BS degree in Physics from Tsinghua University in 1989, a MS degree in Applied Sciences from Columbia University in 1991, and a PhD in Applied Physics/Physical Chemistry from Harvard University in 1994.
Research Description
Professor Dai’s group has been a leader in the area of nanoscience, nanotechnology and nanomedicine. His work is highly interdisciplinary, bridging physical sciences and medicine.
Professor Dai’s students and postdocs are all over the world including many professors at Universities such as Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley, Yale, Duke, USC, BC, Univ. Tokyo, Tsinghua, Fudan, Peking University, Nanjing University, SooChow University, et. al.
In 2009 Professor Dai’s lab pioneered carbon nanotube and nano-graphene based drug delivery and photothermal therapy, and pioneered the field of in vivo NIR-II/SWIR (near-infrared-II/short wave infrared) biological imaging in 2009.
The Dai group discovered that owing to reduced light scattering and tissue autofluorescence, in vivo fluorescence imaging in the near-infrared II or short-wave-infrared (NIR-II/SWIR, 1000-3000 nm) optical window affords non-invasive in vivo live-animal imaging of organs, vessels and cells with high spatiotemporal resolution at millimeter-to-centimeter tissue penetration depths. Such imaging can resolve single cells and blood vessels with molecular specificity, offering a powerful imaging modality that complements MRI, PET and X-ray for basic preclinical research and potential clinical translations.
Our current research interest in the biomedical areas include the following:
• Development of new fluorescence imaging probes (molecules, nanoparticles) in the NIR-II/SWIR (1000-3000 nm) window.
• Developing genetically engineered NIR emitting fluorescent proteins.
• Develop new optical imaging techniques integrating 1-, 2- and 3- photon detections in the visible and NIR-II/SWIR.
• Molecular imaging of preclinical mouse models of diseases (including cancer, cardiovascular, brain/neurological, etc.) in vivo.
• In vivo Imaging of immune responses to immunotherapy and vaccinations.
• Nanovaccine development for cancer immunity and infectious diseases.
• Towards clinical translation of NIR-II/SWIR imaging for perfusion, lymph node mapping, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy and imaging guided surgery.
We are actively recruiting graduate PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. Candidates with strong background in chemistry, applied physics, materials science/chemical engineering/ bioengineering and medicine are encouraged to apply for these positions. Send your inquiry to hjdai@hku.hk with your CV.
Selected Publications
Ren, F., Wang, F., Baghdasaryan, A., Li, Y., Liu, H., Hsu, R.S., Wang, C., Li, J., Zhong, Y., Salazar, F., Xu, C., Jiang, Y., Ma, Z., Zhu, G., Zhao, X., Wong, K.K., Willis, R., Christopher Garcia, K., Wu, A., Mellins, E., Dai, H.
Shortwave-infrared-light-emitting probes for the in vivo tracking of cancer vaccines and the elicited immune responses
(2023) Nature Biomedical Engineering, .
Baghdasaryan, A., Wang, F., Ren, F., Ma, Z., Li, J., Zhou, X., Grigoryan, L., Xu, C., Dai, H.
Phosphorylcholine-conjugated gold-molecular clusters improve signal for Lymph Node NIR-II fluorescence imaging in preclinical cancer models
(2022) Nature Communications, 13 (1), art. no. 5613, . Cited 15 times.
Wang, F., Ren, F., Ma, Z., Qu, L., Gourgues, R., Xu, C., Baghdasaryan, A., Li, J., Zadeh, I.E., Los, J.W.N., Fognini, A., Qin-Dregely, J., Dai, H.
In vivo non-invasive confocal fluorescence imaging beyond 1,700 nm using superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors
(2022) Nature Nanotechnology, 17 (6), pp. 653-660. Cited 42 times.
Wang, F., Qu, L., Ren, F., Baghdasaryan, A., Jiang, Y., Hsu, R., Liang, P., Li, J., Zhu, G., Ma, Z., Dai, H.
High-precision tumor resection down to few-cell level guided by NIR-IIb molecular fluorescence imaging
(2022) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119 (15), art. no. e2123111119, . Cited 18 times.
Zhu, G., Tian, X., Tai, H.-C., Li, Y.-Y., Li, J., Sun, H., Liang, P., Angell, M., Huang, C.-L., Ku, C.-S., Hung, W.-H., Jiang, S.-K., Meng, Y., Chen, H., Lin, M.-C., Hwang, B.-J., Dai, H.
Rechargeable Na/Cl2 and Li/Cl2 batteries
(2021) Nature, 596 (7873), pp. 525-530. Cited 62 times.
Wang, F., Ma, Z., Zhong, Y., Salazar, F., Xu, C., Ren, F., Qu, L., Wu, A.M., Dai, H.
In vivo NIR-II structured-illumination light-sheet microscopy
(2021) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118 (6), art. no. e2023888118, . Cited 34 times.
Ma, Z., Wang, F., Wang, W., Zhong, Y., Dai, H.
Deep learning for in vivo near-infrared imaging
(2021) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118 (1), art. no. e2021446118, . Cited 44 times.
Zhong, Y., Ma, Z., Wang, F., Wang, X., Yang, Y., Liu, Y., Zhao, X., Li, J., Du, H., Zhang, M., Cui, Q., Zhu, S., Sun, Q., Wan, H., Tian, Y., Liu, Q., Wang, W., Garcia, K.C., Dai, H.
In vivo molecular imaging for immunotherapy using ultra-bright near-infrared-IIb rare-earth nanoparticles
(2019) Nature Biotechnology, 37 (11), pp. 1322-1331. Cited 312 times.
Zhu, S., Tian, R., Antaris, A.L., Chen, X., Dai, H.
Near-Infrared-II Molecular Dyes for Cancer Imaging and Surgery
(2019) Advanced Materials, 31 (24), art. no. 1900321, . Cited 529 times.
Wang, F., Wan, H., Ma, Z., Zhong, Y., Sun, Q., Tian, Y., Qu, L., Du, H., Zhang, M., Li, L., Ma, H., Luo, J., Liang, Y., Li, W.J., Hong, G., Liu, L., Dai, H.
Light-sheet microscopy in the near-infrared II window
(2019) Nature Methods, 16 (6), pp. 545-552. Cited 123 times.
Hong, G., Antaris, A.L., Dai, H.
Near-infrared fluorophores for biomedical imaging
(2017) Nature Biomedical Engineering, 1 (1), art. no. 0010, . Cited 1689 times.
Antaris, A.L., Chen, H., Cheng, K., Sun, Y., Hong, G., Qu, C., Diao, S., Deng, Z., Hu, X., Zhang, B., Zhang, X., Yaghi, O.K., Alamparambil, Z.R., Hong, X., Cheng, Z., Dai, H.
A small-molecule dye for NIR-II imaging
(2016) Nature Materials, 15 (2), pp. 235-242. Cited 1138 times.
Hong, G., Diao, S., Antaris, A.L., Dai, H.
Carbon Nanomaterials for Biological Imaging and Nanomedicinal Therapy
(2015) Chemical Reviews, 115 (19), pp. 10816-10906. Cited 1041 times.
Hong, G., Diao, S., Chang, J., Antaris, A.L., Chen, C., Zhang, B., Zhao, S., Atochin, D.N., Huang, P.L., Andreasson, K.I., Kuo, C.J., Dai, H.
Through-skull fluorescence imaging of the brain in a new near-infrared window
(2014) Nature Photonics, 8 (9), pp. 723-730. Cited 713 times.
Hong, G., Lee, J.C., Robinson, J.T., Raaz, U., Xie, L., Huang, N.F., Cooke, J.P., Dai, H.
Multifunctional in vivo vascular imaging using near-infrared II fluorescence
(2012) Nature Medicine, 18 (12), pp. 1841-1846. Cited 749 times.
Liu, Z., Fan, A.C., Rakhra, K., Sherlock, S., Goodwin, A., Chen, X., Yang, Q., Felsher, D.W., Dai, H.
Supramolecular stacking of doxorubicin on carbon nanotubes for in vivo cancer therapy
(2009) Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, 48 (41), pp. 7668-7672. Cited 464 times.
Welsher, K., Liu, Z., Sherlock, S.P., Robinson, J.T., Chen, Z., Daranciang, D., Dai, H.
A route to brightly fluorescent carbon nanotubes for near-infrared imaging in mice
(2009) Nature Nanotechnology, 4 (11), pp. 773-780. Cited 971 times.
Media Coverage of Research
Ninth Nano Research Award goes to Hongjie Dai and Zhong Lin Wang
Stanford chemists develop ‘infrared vision’ for cancer immunotherapy
Deep learning sharpens near-infrared images for cancer diagnostics
Research on fluorescent imaging, aluminum batteries motivate BU students
Chemistry in Pictures: Seeing inside a living brain
New technique for visualizing blood flow involves carbon nanotubes and lasers
NIR Imaging Gets Big Boost
Stanford researchers make rechargeable batteries that store six times more charge
Honours and Awards
Nano Research Award, 2022
Citation Laureate by the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate, 2020
Member of the US National Academy of Medicine (NAM), 2019.
Foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 2019
NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, 2017.
Member of the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS), 2016.
Materials Research Society (MRS) Mid-Career Researcher Award, 2016.
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, 2010
Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2009.
American Physical Society James McGroddy Prize for New Materials, 2006.
Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics, 2004
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 2002
American Chemical Society Pure Chemistry Award, 2002
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, 2001
Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering, 1999
Terman Fellowship, Stanford University, 1998
Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award, 1997
Patents
Editor Board of Scientific Journals
Nano Research, Nano Lett., Advanced Materials, Small, Nanotechnology, Advanced Functional Materials, Chemical Physics Letter, Applied Physics A.