Prof Leigh Canham

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Professor Leigh Canham has 25 years experience conducting research on widely differing aspects of silicon technology.  Two key personal discoveries – that silicon can emit light efficiently (1990) and be rendered biodegradable (1995) have had academic and commercial impact worldwide. With over 6000 citations on the ISI database, his work on the opto-electronic properties of nano- structured silicon are well known, and led to an Honorary Chair award at the University of Birmingham in 1999.  He is a scientist devoted to finding a range of novel properties and uses for the semiconductor that already pervades our everyday lives. Trained at University College (BSc Physics)  and Kings College (PhD Solid State Physics) in London, Leigh then conducted research at QinetiQ (formerly RSRE, DERA) in Malvern UK from 1986-2000. From 1995 onwards he became increasingly aware of the huge potential benefits of using bio-compatible silicon technology in medical therapy.  In December 2000 he co-founded with Dr Roger Aston, pSiMedica Ltd, based upon the biodegradable BioSilicon^TM technology platform invented in QinetiQ. The company, now part of the pSiVida Ltd group (Australia) is conducting clinical trials in Singapore via its subsidiary company, pSiOncology Pte, where radioactive BrachySil^TM is being assessed for the  treatment of  liver cancer via intratumoral brachytherapy. The drug delivery applications of the material are at the pre-clinical stage.