Lin Wenbin, one of the founders and leading lights in the cutting edge field of metal-organic frameworks (MOF) – an area of chemistry recognised this year with a Nobel Prize – has left the United States for China.
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The internationally renowned molecular materials chemist and chemical biologist confirmed on Friday that he had retired early from the University of Chicago and joined Westlake University in Hangzhou, eastern China.
Westlake University said earlier that Lin was now a full-time chair professor and head of the science school’s molecular materials laboratory for sustainable development and human health, along with part-time positions with its medical and engineering schools.
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Why are more Chinese scientists leaving the US to return to China?
Why are more Chinese scientists leaving the US to return to China?
Very few excel simultaneously in three fields and Lin – who is also an oncologist – is a notable exception. Not only was he James Franck professor of chemistry at the University of Chicago, he was also part of its department of radiation and cellular oncology.
There are only two MOFs in clinical development worldwide. Both relate to cancer treatments and both originated in Lin’s laboratory in Chicago, where he worked from 2013.
The first could make it possible for X-rays to deliver more targeted and lower doses, improving the effectiveness of radiotherapy while minimising harm to patients and activating the immune system to help eradicate cancer.
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The second aims to enhance cancer immunotherapy using photosensitisers that are embedded in drug particles and activated by X-rays or near-infrared light when they reach the target tumour, producing reactive oxygen species to kill the cancerous cells.