Biotherapeutic Delivery
The research of the Biotherapeutic Delivery group led by Joachim Van Guyse focuses on developing novel polymer-based formulations for therapeutic nucleic acid and protein delivery. The research revolves around developing structure-activity relationships between the chemical structure of polymers, the self-assembly process, and the in vitro/ in vivo performance of the biotherapeutic formulations.
Biotherapeutics or biologics, such as proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids, comprise an increasing share of the pharmaceutical market, whilst offering new therapies for difficult-to-treat diseases. Most notable is their contribution to the vaccination efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In most cases, however, biotherapeutics intrinsically suffer from poor pharmacokinetics, limiting their cellular uptake, biodistribution, and their intracellular therapeutic function; thus necessitating the development of efficient delivery systems.
