Faculty Member in the Center for Nanomedicine | Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Associate Professor of Anesthesia | Harvard Medical School

Dr. Shi’s research involves a highly interdisciplinary combination of nanotechnology, biomaterials, drug delivery, immunotherapy, and antioxidative therapy. In particular, his laboratory is interested in the rational development of innovative biomaterials and nanoparticle platforms for effective delivery of biomacromolecules (e.g., siRNA, mRNA, and protein) and for biomedical applications in cancer, inflammatory diseases, and ischemic injuries.

1. Systemic delivery of siRNA, mRNA, and protein therapeutics
2. Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials for controlled delivery, photothermal therapy, and imaging
3. Bioinspired polymers for antioxidative and anti-inflammatory therapy
4. Synthetic vaccine nanotechnologies

My most recent laboratory research examined peripheral and central nervous system cellular mechanisms contributing to persistent post-operative pain, and understanding of the synergistic interactions between pain-inducing humoral factors (Endothelin-1 and Nerve Growth Factor) that are released by tumors and cause cancer pain. Current research activities involve two laboratory projects, one applying an innovative method of cryoneurolysis to prevent or treat peripheral neuropathic pain, and a second using nano-technology to control release of cannabinoids to treat cancer progression and cancer pain. A third, clinical project, related to my role as a chaplain, is the application of mindfulness meditation for the reduction of acute post-operative pain.

1. Islam MA, Xu Y, Tao W, Ubellacker JM, Lim M, Aum D, Lee GY, Zhou K, Zope1 H, Yu M, Cao W, Oswald JT, Dinarvand M, Mahmoudi M, Langer R, Kantoff PK, Farokhzad OC*, Zetter BR, Shi J. Restoration of Tumour-Growth Suppression In Vivo via Systemic Nanoparticle-Mediated Delivery of PTEN mRNA. Nature Biomed Eng 2018; 2:850-64.
2. Ji X, Kong N, Wang J, Li W, Xiao Y, Gan ST, Zhang Y, Li Y, Song X, Xiong, Q, Shi S, Li Z, Tao W, Zhang H, Mei L, Shi J. A Novel Top-Down Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Boron Nanosheets for Multi-modal Imaging-Guided Cancer Therapy. Adv Mater 2018; e1803031.
3. Liu Y, Ji X, Tong WWL, Askhatova D, Yang T, Cheng HW, Wang YZ, Shi J. Engineering Multifunctional RNAi Nanomedicine to Concurrently Target Cancer Hallmarks for Combinatorial Therapy. Angew Chem Int Ed 2018; 57:1510-3.
4. Xu X, Saw PE, Tao W, Li Y, Ji X, Yu M, Mahmoudi M, Rasmussen J, Ayyash D, Zhou Y, Farokhzad OC, Shi J. Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Multistaged Nanoplatform for Systemic RNAi and Cancer Therapy. Nano Lett 2017; 17(7):4427-35.
5. Liu Y, Ai K, Ji X, Askhatova D, Du R, Lu L, Shi J. Comprehensive Insights into the Multi-Antioxidative Mechanisms of Melanin Nanoparticles and Their Application to Protect Brain from Injury in Ischemic Stroke. J Am Chem Soc. 2017; 139(2):856-62.
6. Shi J, Kantoff PW, Wooster R, Farokhzad OC. Cancer Nanomedicine: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities. Nature Rev Cancer 2017; 17:20-37.
7. Zhu X, Xu Y, Solis LM, Tao W, Wang L, Behrens C, Xu X, Zhao L, Liu D, Wu J, Zhang N, Wistuba II, Farokhzad OC, Zetter BR, Shi J. Long-Circulating RNAi Nanoparticles for Validating PHB1-Targeted Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:7779-84.