Supervision: Fabrice Thalmann and Marc Schmutz.
The primary goal of nanomedicine is to improve clinical outcomes. To this end, the development of nanocarriers based on lipids, polymers and nanoparticles with tailor-made properties that enhance the in vivo potency of drugs is a subject of intense research. However, the subtle physical-chemistry of the polymer-lipid and nanoparticle-lipid interactions still present many poorly understood fields of investigation as well as unanswered questions. This doctoral research project utilizes state-of-the-art visualization (Cryo-TEM, LSCM) and characterization (ITC, DSC, SAXS, SANS, QCM-D) techniques to gain novel insights into the interaction between α-cyclodextrins in the first hand, a pH-responsive polymer in the other hand, and model DOPC bilayers. The strong influence of both compounds on these model systems elucidate some aspects regarding biological membrane toxicity and suggests novel strategies for pharmaceutical applications.
Keywords: Model lipid membrane, α-cyclodextrin; Ph-sensitive polymer; cubosomes.