Hanadi Sleiman facts for kids

Hanadi Farouk Sleiman FRS is a Canadian chemist. She is a Canada Research Chair in DNA Nanoscience at McGill University. Her work involves using DNA to build tiny structures called nanomaterials. She won the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Polanyi Award in 2021.

Early Life and Education

Hanadi Sleiman studied at Stanford University for her undergraduate and doctoral degrees. There, she researched special chemical compounds. She also attended a lecture by Jean-Marie Lehn about supramolecular chemistry. This is a field of chemistry that looks at how molecules can be put together in organized ways.

After finishing her doctorate, she moved to the Louis Pasteur University. She worked there as a fellow with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). She continued her research alongside Jean-Marie Lehn.

Research and Discoveries

In 1999, Dr. Sleiman joined McGill University. She began using DNA to create tiny structures, known as nanomaterials. Her main goal is to design DNA structures that can find cancer cells. These structures help make cancer cells respond better to treatments like chemotherapy.

Dr. Sleiman has created special DNA "cages" and "nanotubes". These tiny containers can hold medicines. They can release the medicine only when they sense a specific signal in the body. These safe DNA cages could help deliver medicines in a very personal way. This means healthcare can be made just for one person, based on their genes or lifestyle.

These DNA structures can quickly enter cells in the body. They can even turn genes on or off, changing how cells behave. Dr. Sleiman believes that using DNA will lead to more exact cancer treatments. She has also shown that DNA can be used to create special polymer particles for soft robotics. These are robots made from soft, flexible materials. In 2011, she joined the Society for the Advancement of Science and Technology in the Arab World.

Awards and Recognitions

Dr. Sleiman has received many awards for her important work.

• 2004 McGill Dawson Award
• 2009 Canadian Society for Chemistry Strem Award
• 2012 Swiss Chemical Society Lectureship
• 2016 Izatt-Christensen Award in Supramolecular Chemistry
• 2018 Netherlands Scholar Award in Supramolecular Chemistry
• 2018 Killam Research Fellowship
• 2018 Albus Award
• 2021 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Polanyi Award
• 2021 Cottrell STAR Award
• 2022 Columbia University BMS Lecture
• 2023 Named a Fellow of the Royal Society