On the afternoon of February 27, Professor Hendrik Jan Busscher of the University of Groningen attended Nankai University Visiting Professor Appointment Ceremony held at Haibing Building on Balitai Campus, and gave the first academic report   at the “Foreign Expert Lecture” series. Chen Jun, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and vice president of Nankai University, attended the event. Over 160 representative faculty  and students of Nankai University listened to the report. 

Prior to the academic report, Chen Jun presented Hendrik Jan Busscher with a letter of appointment as the visiting professor of Nankai University, along with a certificate recognizing his role as a keynote speaker at the “Foreign Expert Lecture” series. Chen Jun extended a warm welcome to Hendrik Jan Busscher and showed great gratitude to  his important contribution to the opening up of the university’s education in the new era. Meanwhile, He gave a introduction about the university’s “three-dimension integration” and “equal emphasis on five areas of education”  talent cultivation model, and encouraged the present faculty  and students to make all their efforts to participate in scientific research and conduct world-class international scientific and technological cooperation.

The theme of this academic report is “My Journey - From Materials Science to Microbiology, from Dentistry to Medicine, from Groningen to Tianjin”. Hendrik Jan Busscher focused the challenge of bacterial antibiotic resistance caused by bacterial biofilms, drawing on his extensive research experience. He explained that traditional antibiotics are less effective due to the barrier effect of biofilms, the heterogeneity of the microenvironment, and bacterial dormancy. Using an analogy with tap water, Professor Busscher introduced a novel self-targeting nano-antibiotic strategy. This approach involves constructing a self-targeting nanosystem that can specifically identify pathological signals at biofilm infection sites in vivo, while also enhancing the nanomaterial’s ability to penetrate the biofilm. In addition, the system is designed to release antibiotics precisely at the infection site in response to environmental triggers such as pH changes or specific enzymes.Professor Busscher further demonstrated the efficacy of this innovative nano-antibiotic using a “window mice” animal model. In this model, the nano-antibiotic efficiently decomposed the biofilm matrix and created a synergistic effect between photothermal action and free radical generation. This led to the highly effective eradication of biofilms formed by drug-resistant bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, while significantly reducing toxicity to surrounding normal tissues. The report also explored the translational potential of this technology, highlighting its applications in anti-infective coatings for medical devices and the treatment of bacteria-associated tumors. These advancements offer promising new avenues for achieving clinical breakthroughs in the fight against biofilm-related drug resistance.

During the Q&A session, Professor Hendrik Jan Busscher engaged in lively interactions with the facultyand students.

（Edited and translated by Nankai News Team.)