Eva Judy

Project title: Development of novel Target Oriented biocompatible Drug Delivery system by conjugation Of Cancer Targeting Peptide For Efficient Delivery Of Chemotherapeutic Drugs (TODD4Chemo)

Host Institution: Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)

Host Supervisor: Prof. Remco Tuinier

Co-host Institution: Technical University of Munich (TUM)

Co-host Supervisor: Prof. Christine Papadakis

Summary project: Synthetic drugs possess non-targeted delivery, poor in-vivo performance, low bio-circulation and increased toxicity in biological systems. Hence, the need for biocompatible target oriented drug delivery system arises to ensure bioavailability and monitor efficient dosage of drugs. We aim towards incorporating cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), which are short peptide sequences capable of transport across plasma membrane of cells into biocompatible drug delivery systems and develop them for chemotherapeutic use. The encapsulation and release characteristics of the chosen drugs in the delivery vehicles is also determined by their molecular features and structure. The interdisciplinary approach aims at employing a combination of biophysical, biochemical and computational methods to study the development and applications of the DDS. A quantitative understanding of physical chemistry underlying drug encapsulation and its subsequent release and binding to the target molecule is also essential for deriving guidelines for rational drug design.