Dr. Liangcan He is a distinguished Professor at the School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, China, where he leads advanced interdisciplinary research programs focused on biomaterials, nanomedicine, multimodal imaging, and bio-nano interface engineering. His scientific work spans the design, synthesis, and biomedical translation of organic–inorganic nanoclusters, functional nanomaterials, therapeutic hydrogels, DNA nanotechnology, and stimuli-responsive nanosystems for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Before joining his current institution, he completed a highly productive postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health under the mentorship of Dr. Xiaoyuan (Shawn) Chen, where he developed cutting-edge nanoplatforms for NIR-II imaging, X-ray-mediated dynamic immunotherapy, responsive nanoparticle assemblies, and cascade-reaction-based photodynamic therapy. He also served as a Senior Research Associate and Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Soft Materials Research Center, working closely with leading investigators across materials science, chemical engineering, optical engineering, and nanobiotechnology. During this period, he contributed significantly to DNA-programmable nanoparticle crystallization, MOF-based hybrid therapeutic systems, plasmon-enhanced upconversion luminescence, single-particle photophysics, engineered UCNP–Au nanostructure assemblies, and DNA-origami-directed enzymatic cascade architectures. Dr. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Tsinghua University and conducted parallel research at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology under the supervision of Prof. Zhiyong Tang and Prof. Yadong Li, where he worked extensively on plasmonic nanoparticle@MOF core–shell systems, catalytic nanomaterials, graphene-oxide-integrated hybrid structures, yolk–shell nanostructures for controlled release, supraparticle-based photocatalysis, and chiral coordination polymer assemblies. His current research continues to advance critical frontiers such as photothermal therapy, radiosensitization, microenvironment-responsive nanoreactors, injectable biomaterials for tissue repair, bioinspired catalytic systems, and multifunctional hydrogel-based therapeutic platforms. Dr. He has authored more than 76 peer-reviewed publications, achieving over 6,130 citations and an H-index of 33, underscoring his global impact in nanobiotechnology, functional materials, and translational biomedical engineering. He has also contributed as Guest Editor for the Special Issue “Research Progress of Bioimaging Materials” in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. With a strong interdisciplinary foundation bridging chemistry, nanoscience, materials engineering, and biomedical translation, he is recognized as a leading innovator in the development of functional nanomaterials for precision imaging, sensing, biosystem modulation, and advanced therapeutic strategies.
Featured Publications
Zhang, R., Ma, Q., Zheng, N., Wang, R., Visentin, S., He, L., & Liu, S. (2025). Plant polyphenol-based injectable hydrogels: Advances and biomedical applications.
Cao, Z., Xin, R., Ma, Q., Wang, Q., Feng, S., Su, H., Zhao, A., Li, K., Liu, S., He, L., & Liu, S. (2025). Nanobiocatalyst-driven spatiotemporal hydrogen delivery induces dormancy-potentiated catalytic tumor therapy.
Zou, L., Li, Y., Feng, S., Wang, Z., Xiao, H., Chen, S., Wang, Y., He, L., & Mao, X. (2025). Innovations and applications of composite hydrogels: From polymer-based systems to metal-ion-doped and functional nanomaterial-enhanced architectures.
Song, J., Yuan, S., Liu, S., Wang, Y., Yang, B., Ji, L., He, L., & Liu, S. (2025). Novel yellow light-responsive SnO2/SnS2 piezo-photocatalysts with excellent performances for tooth whitening and biofilm eradication. Journal of Materials Chemistry B,
Feng, L., Zhu, S., Zhang, R., Xu, T., Wang, H., Zheng, N., Wang, R., He, L., Liu, F., Ma, Q., & Liu, S. (2025). Injectable natural polymer-based hydrogels: A promising minimally invasive therapy for future neural tissue repair.