Guojun Chen Receives President’s Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researchers

Professor Guojun Chen, Ph.D., faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and principal investigator at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI), has been awarded the President's Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researchers. This honour is awarded to McGill faculty members who have distinguished themselves early in their careers through exceptional research contributions.

Professor Chen joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the GCI in January 2021, where he established a research laboratory focused on innovative drug delivery systems and precision medicine. His work aims to target therapies to cancer cells and to improve their efficacy, while sparing healthy cells, and reducing the side effects experienced by patients. By engineering intelligent biomaterials, he has developed drug delivery systems including targeted drug-loaded nano particles and hydrogels.

“Guojun embodies the spirit of biomedical engineering in the highly interdisciplinary area of nanomedicine. I would like to highlight that his success is a testament to both his scientific ability and his collaborative disposition and initiatives, which help him forge close ties to our colleagues at the GCI, and succeed in advancing cancer therapies using nanomedicines” remarked David Juncker, PhD., Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering and GCI Associate member.  

A recognized leader in his field, Professor Chen holds a prestigious Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Biomaterials and Biomacromolecule Delivery.

His research also explores novel anti-cancer approaches, such as cold atmospheric plasma-mediated immunotherapy. This unique ionized gas can potentiate immune cell killing of cancer cells, a property which the Chen lab is leveraging to improve the efficacy of existing immunotherapies. His team is also pursuing biomaterials-based approaches to immunotherapy to improve cancer immunotherapy, autoimmune disease treatment, and infectious disease treatment.

“Guojun is a great example of how collaborations across disciplines can be leveraged to improve research outcomes and drive innovative approaches. We are proud to have him as part of the GCI community- congratulations on this well-deserved recognition” noted Morag Park, Ph.D., Director of the GCI.

To date, Professor Chen’s innovations have led to the publication of over 90 articles in leading scientific journals, along with five patents on novel technologies and an additional four patents pending.

By pushing the boundaries of biomedical engineering, Professor Guojun Chen is shaping the future of cancer drug delivery, precision medicine, and immunotherapy. His innovative research and commitment to improving patient outcomes have earned him well-deserved recognition through the President’s Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researchers.

Learn more about Professor Chen’s research program here:

Principal Investigators | Goodman cancer Institute

Guojun Chen | Biomedical Engineering - McGill University