Dr. Volga Bulmus
- Position: Senior Lecturer
- Room: 211, Biological Sciences
- Phone: (+61 2) 9385 1199
- Fax: (+61 2) 9385 1483
- email: vbulmus@unsw.edu.au
Professional Experience
- Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow, UNSW
- Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Bioengineering Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Research Contribution
Dr. Volga Bulmus leads a group of 5-10 researchers working on the development of advanced polymeric systems for biotechnology and biomedicine applications ranging from drug delivery systems for anticancer chemo- and gene silencing- therapies to biopurifications.
Dr. Bulmus has been working on biologically functional polymeric systems since 1996, and has published over 50 peer-reviewed research papers in high-impact journals of her field. She has contributed presentations at various international workshops and conferences and has had some of her papers used as journal cover articles.
The current research activities in Dr. Bulmus`s laboratory include the following:
- Drug delivery and nanomedicine: development and application of polymer therapeutics and polymeric carriers such as nanoparticles, micelles and soluble polymers for site-targeted delivery of therapeutic agents such as antitumor drugs and siRNA.
- Polymer-biomolecule hybrids: synthesis and application of polymer-biomolecule conjugates and biosynthetic hybrid polymers in drug delivery, biosensors, diagnostics, biosensors and bioseparations.
- Biofunctional polymer surfaces: modification and characterisation of inorganic/organic surfaces and nanoparticles with biologically functional polymers for applications in biomaterials, diagnostics, biosensors, bioseparations, and drug delivery.
Honours & Awards
- UNSW Vice Chancellor`s Research Fellowship
Active Research Projects
- Development of Polymer Nanoparticles for Tumor Chemotherapy
- Development of siRNA-Polymer Conjugates to Improve siRNA-Based Gene Silencing Therapies
Publications
- Jia, Z.F., Liu, J., Boyer, C., Davis, T.P. & Bulmus, V. (2009)
- Functional disulfide-stabilized polymer-protein particles.
- Biomacromolecules, DOI: 10.1021/bm900817a2009.
- Boyer, C., Bulmus, V., Davis, T.P., Ladmiral, V., Liu, J. & Perrier, S. (2009)
- Bioapplications of RAFT polymers.
- Chemical Reviews, DOI: 10.1021/cr9001403.
- Xu, J., Tao L., Liu, J., Bulmus, V. & Davis, T.P. (2009)
- Synthesis of functionalized and biodegradable hyperbranched polymers from novel AB2 macromonomers prepared by RAFT polymerization.
- Macromolecules, 42 (18), 6893-6901.
- Boyer, C., Bulmus, V., Priyanto, P., Teoh, W.Y., Amal, R., David, T.P. (2009)
- The stabilization and bio-functionalization of iron oxide nanoparticles using heterotelechelic polymers.
- Journal of Materials Chemistry, 19, 111-123.
- Chong, S-F., Chandrawati, R., Stadler, B., Park, J., Cho, J., Wang, Y., Jia, Z., Bulmus, V., Davis, T.P., Zelikin, A.N. & Caruso (2009)
- Stabilization of polymer-hydrogel capsules via thiol–disulfide exchange.
- Small, DOI: 10.1002/smll.200900906
- Valade, D., Boyer, C., Davis, T.P, & Bulmus, V. (2009)
- Synthesis of siRNA polyplexes adopting a combination of RAFT polymerization and thiol-ene chemistry.
- Australian Journal of Chemistry, accepted, CH09208.
- Xu, J., Boyer, C., Bulmus, V. & Davis, T.P. (2009)
- Synthesis of dendritic carbohydrate end-functional polymers via RAFT: Versatile multi-functional precursors for bioconjugations.
- J. of Polymer Science Part A:Polymer Chemistry, 47 (17), 4302-4313.
- Boyer, C., Granville A., Davis, T.P. & Bulmus, V. (2009)
- Modification of RAFT-polymers via thiol-ene reactions: A general route to functional polymers and new architectures.
- J. of Polymer Science Part A:Polymer Chemistry, 47 (15), 3773-3794.
- Boyer, C., Liu, J., Bulmus, V. & Davis, T.P. (2009)
- RAFT polymer end-group modification and chain coupling/conjugation via disulfide bonds.
- Australian Journal of Chemistry, 62, (8), 830-8.
- Boyer, C., Bulmus, V. & Davis, T.P. (2009)
- Atom-efficient usage of thiocarbonates for direct biofunctionalization of polymers.
- Macromol Rapid Comm., 30, 493-497.
- Liu, J., Liu, H., Boyer C., Bulmus V. & Davis, T.P. (2009)
- Approach to peptide decorated micelles via RAFT polymerization.
- Journal of Polymer Science Part A:Polymer Chemistry,47(3), 899-912.
- Heredia, K.L., Nguyen, T.H., Chang, C-W., Bulmus, V., Davis, T.P. & Maynard, H.D. (2008)
- Reversible siRNA-polymer conjugates by RAFT polymerization
- Chem. Commun. 28: 3245-3247. (Cover page article and Hot article)
- Chan, Y., Wong, T., Byrne, F., Kavallaris, M. & Bulmus, V. (2008)
- Acid-labile core cross-linked micelles for pH-triggered release of antitumor drugs.
- Biomacromolecules, 9 (7), 1826-1836.
- Zareie, M.H., Boyer, C., Bulmus, V., Nateghi, E. & Davis, T.P. (2008)
- Temperature-responsive self-assembled monolayers of oligo(ethylene glycol): control of biomolecular recognition.
- ACS Nano 2: 757-765.
- Boyer, C., Liu, J., Bulmus, V., Davis, T.P., Barner-Kowollik, C. & Stenzel, M.H. (2008)
- Direct synthesis of well-defined heterotelechelic polymers for bioconjugations.
- Macromolecules. 41 (15): 5641-5650
- Boyer, C., Liu, J., Wong, L., Tippett, M., Bulmus, V. & Davis, T.P. (2008)
- Stability and utility of pyridyl disulfide functionality in RAFT and conventional radical polymerizations.
- Journal of Polymer Science Part A-Polymer Chemistry. 46: 7207-7224.
- Jia, Z.F., Wong, L-J., Davis, T.P. & Bulmus, V. (2008)
- One-pot cconversion of RAFT-generated multifunctional block copolymers of HPMA to doxorubicin conjugated acid- and reductant-sensitive crosslinked micelles.
- Biomacromolecules. 9 (11): 3106-3113
- Johns, R.E., El-Sayed, M.E., Bulmus, V., Cuschieri, J., Maier, R., Hoffman, A.S. & Stayton, P.S. (2008)
- Mechanistic analysis of macrophage response to IRAK-1 gene knockdown by a smart polymer-antisense oligonucleotide therapeutic.
- Journal of Biomaterials Science. Polymer Edition. 19 (10): 1333-1346.
- Liu, J., Liu, H., Jia, Z., Bulmus, V. & Davis, T.P. (2008)
- An approach to biodegradable star polymeric architectures using disulfide coupling.
- Chemical Communications, 48: 6582-6584.
- Wong, L.J., Boyer, C., Jia, Z.F., Zareie, H.M., Davis, T.P. & Bulmus V. (2008)
- Synthesis of versatile thiol-reactive polymer scaffolds via RAFT polymerization.
- Biomacromolecules. 9 (7): 1934-1944.
- Liu, J., Bulmus, V., Herlambang, D., Barner-Kowollik, C., Stenzel, M.H. & Davis, T.P. (2007)
- In-situ formation of protein-polymer conjugates via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization.
- Angewandte Chemie International Edn 46: 3099-3103
- Boyer, C., Bulmus, V., Liu, J., Davis, T.P., Stenzel, M.H. & Barner-Kowollik, C. (2007)
- Well-defined protein-polymer conjugates via RAFT polymerization.
- J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129: 7145-7154.
- Liu, J., Bulmus, V., Barner-Kowollik, C., Stenzel, M.H. & Davis, T.P. (2007)
- Direct synthesis of pyridyldisulfide functionalized polymers by RAFT polymerization
- Macromol. Rapid Comm., 28: 305-314. (Cover page article)
- Hoffman, A.S., Stayton, P.S., El-Sayed, M.E.H., Murthy, N., Bulmus, V., Lackey, C. & Cheung, C. (2007)
- Design of “smart” nano-scale delivery systems for biomolecular therapuetics.
- Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology, 3 (3), 213-217.
- Bulmus V., Chan Y., Nguyen Q. & Tran H. (2007)
- Development of degradable P(HEMA) microgels: Use of acid-cleavable crosslinkers.
- Macromolecular Bioscience, 7, 446-455. (Cover page article)
- Chan, Y., Bulmus, V., Zareie, M.H., Byrne, F., Barner, L. & Kavallaris, M. (2006)
- Acid-cleavable core-shell particles for delivery of hydrophobic drugs.
- J. Control. Rel. 115: 197-207.
- Stayton P.S., Hoffman A.S., El-Sayed M., Kulkarni S., Shimoboji T., Murthy N., Bulmus V. & Lackey C. (2005)
- Intelligent biohybrid materials for therapeutic and imaging agent delivery.
- Proceedings of The IEEE 93(4), 726-736.
- Stayton P.S., El-Sayed M.E.H., Murthy N, Bulmus V., Lackey C., Cheung C. & Hoffman A.S. (2005)
- Smart delivery systems for biomolecular therapeutics.
- Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research, 8, 219-225.
- Bulmus, V. (2005)
- Biomembrane active molecular switches as tools for intracellular drug delivery
- Aust. J. Chem. 58: 411-422. (Invited review)