Publications
Cytosolic delivery of gadolinium via photoporation enables improved in vivo magnetic resonance imaging of cancer cells Ghent University
Materials and technologies to combat counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals : current and future problem tackling Ghent University
The globalization of drug trade leads to the expansion of pharmaceutical counterfeiting. The immense threat of low quality drugs to millions of patients is considered to be an under-addressed global health challenge. Analytical authentication technologies are the most effective methods to identify active pharmaceutical ingredients and impurities. However, most of these analytical testing techniques are expensive and need skilled personnel. To ...
Intracellular labeling with extrinsic probes : delivery strategies and applications Ghent University
Extrinsic probes have outstanding properties for intracellular labeling to visualize dynamic processes in and of living cells, both in vitro and in vivo. Since extrinsic probes are in many cases cell-impermeable, different biochemical, and physical approaches have been used to break the cell membrane barrier for direct delivery into the cytoplasm. In this Review, these intracellular delivery strategies are discussed, briefly explaining the ...
Targeted nanoparticles towards increased L cell stimulation as a strategy to improve oral peptide delivery in incretin-based diabetes treatment Ghent University
The delivery of therapeutic peptides via the oral route remains one of biggest challenges in the pharmaceutical industry. Recently, we have described an alternative improved drug delivery system for peptide delivery via the oral route, consisting of a lipidic nanocapsule. Despite the striking effects observed, it is still essential to develop strategies to strengthen the nanocarriers' glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretory effect of the ...
Surface functionalization with polyethylene glycol and polyethyleneimine improves the performance of graphene-based materials for safe and efficient intracellular delivery by laser-induced photoporation Ghent University
Nanoparticle mediated laser-induced photoporation is a physical cell membrane disruption approach to directly deliver extrinsic molecules into living cells, which is particularly promising in applications for both adherent and suspension cells. In this work, we explored surface modifications of graphene quantum dots (GQD) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) to enhance colloidal stability ...
Fluorescence-based quantification of messenger RNA and plasmid DNA decay kinetics in extracellular biological fluids and cell extracts Ghent University
Extracellular and intracellular degradation of nucleic acids remains an issue in non-viral gene therapy. Understanding biodegradation is critical for the rational design of gene therapeutics in order to maintain stability and functionality at the target site. However, there are only limited methods available that allow determining the stability of genetic materials in biological environments. In this context, the decay kinetics of fluorescently ...
Challenges for labeling and longitudinal tracking of adoptively transferred autoreactive T lymphocytes in an experimental type-1 diabetes model Ghent University KU Leuven
Design of messenger RNA lipid nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy Ghent University
In the last three decades, an improved understanding of the mRNA pharmacology, together with novel insights in immunology have positioned mRNA-based technologies as next-generation vaccines. In this thesis, the specific aim was to design an mRNA vaccine for cancer immunotherapy with potential to evoke cytotoxic T cell responses against established tumors. In general, the success of an mRNA vaccine formulation will be determined on its capacity ...