Current Research Targets

The overreaching goal of our research is the development of versatile platforms of innovative vectors for cancer therapeutics, vaccine development and imaging reagents in nanomedicine. With the growing sophistication of polymerization strategies, the implementation of functionality and utilization of macromolecular architectures will be key for many of the promising applications in nanotechnology related to the biomedical field and materials science. Thereby structural and functional fidelity compatible for bioconjugation is a focus in the design of the polymer topology.

1.)  Design and Synthesis of 3-D Multifunctional well-defined Nanoscale Objects. We develop multifunctional organic nanoparticles of degradable and non-degradable nature to enable the controlled attachment of targeting units, molecular transporter, therapeutics and/or imaging reagents.

2.)  A new Generation of Molecular Transporter. Considering the low efficiency of cellular transport, we investigate dendritic molecular transporter of unique design to allow the delivery of bioactive cargos specifically to the cytosol or nucleus without unwanted intracellular probe metabolism and transport.

The systemic combination of nanovectors with preferred therapeutics, targeting moieties and vectors for cellular uptake provides the opportunity to obtain a large number of personalized therapeutic reagents.

3.)  Towards organic quantum dots--Approaches to novel semiconducting Nanoparticles. In demand of imaging probes correlated to with efficacy of drug carriers well-defined nanoparticles are developed for in vivo imaging and device technologies. They contain fluorescent core units and are decorated with lanthanides to provide powerful bimodal imaging reagents and will vitalize the investigation of electronic properties through site isolation effects of electroactive entities in well-defined nanoobjects.