Research

Nanofactories for in-situ Drug Synthesis

A key interest for the treatment of many diseases is the selective delivery of drugs to targets of interest such as tumor tissues without unspecific off-targeting, which often results in severe side effects. This part of our research focuses on an alternative approach, namely the in-vivo synthesis of drug molecules from small drug fragments directly at the site of interest. This will be realized with the help of highly functionalized polymer scaffolds embedded in the cellular system, which we like to refer to as ‘nanofactories’. Localized drug synthesis at the site of interest will be achieved by compartmentation within these polymeric scaffolds.

Macromolecules for Translational Science

Macromolecules are an essential component of nanomedicine, not only for the construction of nano-devices but also for the decoration with chemical functionalities. Such highly functionalized polymers can be utilized as targeting moieties, multivalent ligands and biomimicking scaffolds. Our research focus is on the design and synthesis of macromolecules that enable new technologies in the field of nanomedicine. In particular, we aim to develop new synthetic methodologies that combine the design, synthesis and in-situ evaluation of functionalised macromolecules in high-throughput experiments, which will facilitate the translations to clinical applications.

New forms of zwitterionic polymers for biomedical applications

Zwitterionic polymers are ahighly hydrophilic polymers with widespread applications in the field of medicine and nanotechnology. To this end, zwitterionic polymers are mainly classified in two categories, namely polybetaine and polyampholytes. We aim to broaden the chemical space of zwitterionic polymers by adding poly(ylides) as third class of zwitterionic polymers to the chemical toolbox.

Peptide and Ligation Chemistry for the chemical synthesis of proteins

Our group has a large interest in developing new sorts of ligation techniques that allow to access otherwise inaccessible protein structures. We utilise our background in organic chemistry and peptide chemistry for tackling this interdisciplinary challenges. Naturally, we have a major interest in developing new tools and building blocks that advance the field of peptide chemistry.