My research vision is to use chemistry as a tool to solve biomedical problems. Particularly, I am interested in studying nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery at cellular level using innovative chemistry approaches. I believe modern tools such as bioorthogonal chemistry provide exciting opportunities to understand how nanoparticles are internalized by cells, and subsequently trafficked inside cells. Furthermore, I would like to apply these fundamental understanding in the next-generation nanotherapeutics development. My extensive combinational expertise in chemistry and nanomedicine enables these exploration at the bio-nano interface. If you are a passionate researcher interested in these topics, welcome to join us!
Dr. Cheng completed her PhD in February 2023, with joint degree from the University of Helsinki and the University of Groningen under the supervision of Prof. Helder Santos. She is an expert on nanomedicine for cancer immunotherapy.
Project supported by The Research Fund of the Finnish Red Cross Blood Service
Dr. Shuhan Feng completed her PhD in January 2024, from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Her research interests include polysaccharides, hydrogels, pH-responsive biomaterials and freeze-drying. She will work on hydrogels for intracellular delivery applications.
Project supported by the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation
Yuchen Su completed her master degree from Beijing University of Chemical Technology (China), majored in polymer materials. Her PhD project will focus on developing polymer nanoparticles for intracellular delivery.
Supported by The China Scholarship Council
Melissa Hendrén completed her master degree from Aalto University, majored in Life Science Technologies (Biosystem Engineering) with minor in synthetic biology. She was also the team leader of Aalto-Helsinki iGEM team in 2022. Her mater thesis was performed in VTT, about genetically modified yeast cells for production of quinolone and quinoline
molecules. After master graduation, Melissa worked in shortly Synbio Powerlabs Oy as the Chief Innovation Officer before joining Intracellular Delivery Lab as a PhD student. Her PhD project will focus on developing new imaging methods for intracellular delivery characterizations.
Supported by The Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation
Mai Soliman completed her master degree from Alexandria University (Egypt), majored in Pharmaceutics. Her previous work was developing targeted lipid nanoparticles as elastic liposomes. Her PhD project will focus on investigating cell surface glycan involvement in nanoparticle uptake.
Supported by The Research Council of Finland
Mansi is joining the lab as a HiLIFE trainee. She is pursuing an MSc in Pharmaceutical Research, Development, and Safety at the University of Helsinki and has completed her undergraduate studies from India in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Her research interest lies in nanomedicine and her project will be about exploring the cellular uptake of nanoparticles, nanoparticle optimization, and microfluidics.
Supported by HiLIFE traineeship program
Granta is a summer internship student. She is pursuing an MSc in Pharmaceutical Research, Development, and Safety at the University of Helsinki. She has research experience in exosomes, polymer nanoparticles and lipid nanoparticles for cardiovascular diseases prevention and treatment. Her project will be about exploring the nanoparticle-cell conjugates as drug delivery systems. Granta also serves as a "Study in Finland Ambassador" for the University.
Leyla Gül is currently a summer intern in the lab under the Erasmus+ Traineeship program. She recently graduated with a degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics. Her thesis focused on developing therapeutic agents for mood disorders.She has research experience in polymeric and lipid nanoparticles for neural disorders. She is working on hydrogels for intracellular delivery applications.
Bowei Du is a final year PhD student from Beijing University of Chemical and Technology (China). His PhD project focuses on collagen-derived peptides for biomedical applications. During his 6-month research visit, he will explore bioconjugated peptides/nanoparticles.
Supported by the funding from Beijing University of Chemical and Technology