Associate Professor Joy Wolfram

Principal Research Fellow

School of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology

Group Leader

Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology

Overview

Associate Professor Joy Wolfram leads a nanomedicine and extracellular vesicle research program with the goal of developing innovative approaches that bring the next generation of treatments and diagnostics directly to the clinic. She has joint appointments in the School of Chemical Engineering and the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at The University of Queensland, Australia (#36 in Best Global Universities, U.S. News & World Report).

MISSION

1) Develop a new paradigm of therapeutics (using nanotechnology and cell products) to treat life-threatening diseases that are major causes of death globally, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and breast cancer

2) Save lives by manufacturing at scale - Deliver national manufacturing innovation and a skilled workforce

3) Work with a multidisciplinary team and industry partners to position Australia as a global leader in extracellular vesicle medicine

Extracellular vesicles are small biomolecular packages (released locally and systemically) that are crucial for intercellular communication. Extracellular vesicles have promising potential to be leveraged and engineered to provide a paradigm shift in cell-free therapy. Unresolved challenges in the field include scalable manufacturing, understanding therapeutic/pathological mechanisms, and capacity to use extracellular vesicles for drug delivery. The Wolfram Laboratory is leveraging innovations in manufacturing, biological mechanisms, and drug loading of extracellular vesicles to develop therapeutics to alter the trajectory of disease, improve patient outcomes, and prolong healthy lifespan.

FOCUS AREAS

1) Developing improved methods for extracellular vesicle isolation from human biofluids

2) Designing hybrid drug delivery systems with extracellular vesicle and synthetic components for a ‘best-of-both-worlds’ approach to treat cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease

3) Understanding the role of extracellular vesicles in cancer immunoevasion and metastasis

The research program has resulted in more than 80 publications in journals, such as, Nature Nanotechnology, Materials Today, and Nature Reviews Materials. These publications have been cited 12,000 times (Google Scholar). The Wolfram Laboratory has collaborated with 160 universities and industry partners across 45 countries (Scopus). The research program has also been featured in more than 100 presentations at scientific meetings, including 70 invited talks and seven international keynote talks.

Associate Professor Wolfram is actively involved in community outreach and education, including her previous roles as the Chair of an education and outreach working group of the National Institutes of Health in the United States and the Associate Program Director of the PhD Program in Regenerative Sciences at Mayo Clinic (Best Hospital in the World, Newsweek). As a TED speaker, she strives to bring science to a wider audience.

She has received more than 30 awards from eight countries, including the 2016 Amgen Scholars Ten to Watch List (best and brightest up-and-comers in science and medicine across 42 countries), the 2019 Forbes 30 under 30 list in Health Care in the United States/Canada, the 2019 shortlist for the Nature Research Award for Inspiring Science (one of ten worldwide), and the 2021 Finnish Expatriate of the Year (past recipients include Nobel Memorial Prize winners, Millennium Technology Prize winners, and Formula 1 drivers). She is in the top 1% of researchers worldwide in the categories of ‘Biology & Biochemistry’ and ‘Pharmacology & Toxicology' (Essential Science Indicators, 2023).

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Chinese Academy of Science
  • Bachelor Degree, University of Helsinki*
  • Masters Degree, University of Helsinki*

Publications

  • Amruta, A., Iannotta, Dalila, Cheetham, Seth W., Lammers, Twan and Wolfram, Joy (2023). Vasculature organotropism in drug delivery. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 201 115054, 1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.115054

  • Chen, Siyu, Iannotta, Dalila, O'Mara, Megan L., Goncalves, Jenifer Pendiuk and Wolfram, Joy (2023). Extracellular vesicle lipids in cancer immunoevasion. Trends in Cancer. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2023.08.006

  • Goncalves, Jenifer P., Ghebosu, Raluca E., Tan, Xuan Ning Sharon, Iannotta, Dalila, Koifman, Na'ama and Wolfram, Joy (2023). Hyaluronic acid: An overlooked extracellular vesicle contaminant. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 12 (9). doi: 10.1002/jev2.12362

View all Publications

Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • Please contact the Wolfram Laboratory if you are interested in PhD projects on:

    - Deveoping extracellular vesicle therapeutics for cardiovascular inflammation

    - Understanding the contribution of extracellular vesicles in breast cancer immunoevasion

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book Chapter

  • Borsoi, Carlotta, Wolfram, Joy and Ferrari, Mauro (2017). Nanomedicine activities in the United States and worldwide. Nanoscience and nanotechnology for human health. (pp. 21-50) edited by Bert Müller and Marcel Van de Voorde. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH . doi: 10.1002/9783527692057.ch3

  • Suri, Krishna, Wolfram, Joy, Shen, Haifa and Ferrari, Mauro (2015). Advances in Nanotechnology-Based Drug Delivery Platforms and Novel Drug Delivery Systems. Novel Approaches and Strategies for Biologics, Vaccines and Cancer Therapies. (pp. 41-58) Elsevier Inc.. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-416603-5.00003-1

Journal Article

Conference Publication

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Please contact the Wolfram Laboratory if you are interested in PhD projects on:

    - Deveoping extracellular vesicle therapeutics for cardiovascular inflammation

    - Understanding the contribution of extracellular vesicles in breast cancer immunoevasion