Biotherapeutic Delivery

Student projects

Are you looking for a research project? We have projects available for motivated 6–9-month internship students with particular interest in organic/polymer synthesis, formulation development, gene delivery, protein delivery, and the preliminairy in vitro screening of drug delivery platforms. Students are also welcome to propose a project that aligns with the interests of the research group. Below you'll find a list of available research topic.

Development and screening of lipid-polymer conjugates for lipid-nanoparticle-mediated RNA delivery

Lipid-polymer conjugates are essential components in lipid-based delivery systems, crucial to obtain stable and size-controlled formulations. In addition, they directly affect the pharmacokinetics and dynamics of the formulations, ultimately affecting the delivery process. In this project, novel polymer-lipid conjugates will be developed and explored in the lipid nanoparticle-mediated delivery of nucleic acids.

Polyion complex-based delivery systems for biotherapeutic delivery 

Biotherapeutics face several barriers for their intracellular delivery necessitating the use of delivery systems to increase or unlock their potency. Inherently, biomolecules possess polyelectrolyte-like characteristics, thus allowing the exploitation of electrostatic interactions in the delivery process. In this project, synthetic block-copolymer polyelectrolytes will be synthesized and screened for the delivery of biotherapeutics, such as mRNA, siRNA, and proteins. 

Protein/peptide/oligos-polymer conjugates for enhanced therapeutic delivery 

The conjugation of polymers to therapeutic biomolecules, such as proteins, peptides, oligonucleic acids, is a common strategy to enhance the pharmacokinetics, stability, and delivery of biotherapeutics, thus reducing administration frequency leading to improved patient compliance. In this project, polymers will be designed to facilitate local or systemic administration of a biotherpautic, and evaluated in zebrafish embryo models. 

If you have any questions, please contact Joachim Van Guyse.