ABOUT US
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
We are a University of Alberta startup company dedicated to adding value to synthetic sugar based materials (glycopolymers, glycogels and glyconanoparticles) focusing on commercialization, establishing partnership and licensing our technologies.
Meet The Team
We are an interdisciplinary research team focusing on advancing safe materials for several applications with a primary focus in the biomedical field.
Ravin Narain, PhD, PEng, FRSC
Founder & CEO
Ravin Narain, PhD, P.Eng, FRSC is currently a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada. Prof. Narain has made significant contributions to research on the design, fabrication, and characterization of novel carbohydrate based materials (glycopolymers, hydrogels and nanomaterials) for a wide range of applications. His research has also covered biomaterials, nanomedicine and regenerative medicine, with an emphasis on developing advanced materials as cancer therapeutics, anti-fouling and anti-microbial uses, and cell/tissue engineering advances. He has published over 180 articles in peer-reviewed and high impact journals and has edited several books namely Engineered Carbohydrate-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications (Wiley), Chemistry of Bioconjugates (Wiley), Glycopolymers: Synthesis and Applications (Smithers & Rapra), and Polymers and Nanomaterials for Gene Therapy (Woodhead Publishing & Elsevier). He is currently a section editor for the second edition of the book – Comprehensive Glycoscience (Elsevier).
He is also on the Editorial Board for Polymer Chemistry (RSC), Biomacromolecules (ACS) and Polymers (MDPI). He was the recipient for a Distinguished Visiting Scientist Award from CSIRO (Manufacturing), Melbourne, Australia (2017-2018).
Anika B. Asha, PhD
Team Scientist
Anika Benozir Asha, PhD, completed her doctoral degree under Dr. Ravin Narain’s supervision in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 2015. Her research is focused on polymer chemistry and surface modifications using biomimetic polymer coating for antibacterial and antifouling applications. She has 13 publications including 4 book chapters with more than 180 citations.
Diana Diaz-Dussan, PhD
Team Scientist
Diana Diaz-Dussan, PhD, is currently a Mitacs Accelerate Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering from the University of Alberta. She obtained a PhD. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Ravin Narain and Dr. Piyush Kumar in 2021 and dual BSc. Degrees in Chemical Engineering and Microbiology from the University of Los Andes (Colombia) in 2010. She has more than +20 peer-reviewed journal publications with more than 257 citations, and has been a reviewer in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceutics (ACS). She is been the recipient of the Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship in 2020, the DB Robinson Graduate Scholarship in Chemical and Materials Engineering in 2019, and the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in 2018. Her current research focuses on investigating carbohydrate-based polymeric nanomaterials for efficient delivery of oligonucleotides for cancer treatment.
Kevin Peng, PhD
Team Scientist
Yi-Yang (Kevin) Peng, PhD, is currently postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Ravin Narain at the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering from the University of Alberta. He received his Bachelor of Applied Science in the major of Chemical and Biological Engineering with a minor in commerce and Bachelor of Arts in the major of Psychology from the University of British Columbia in 2013. His research focuses on developing nano-sized carbohydrate-based polymers for gene and drug delivery systems, and injectable, biocompatible, and self-healing glycogels. He has more than +15 peer-reviewed journal publications and contributes four chapters to two books. He has been a reviewer in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (ACS), European Polymer Journal (Elsevier), Chemical Engineering Journal (Elsevier), Soft Matter (RSC), and Biomacromolecules (ACS).