GATE

      

Afilliation

Department of Pharmaceutics & Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

 

Research focus

Our lab has a strong interest in engineering the immune system via a materials chemistry approach, i.e. immune-engineering. Hereto we rely on synthetic chemistry, often polymer-based, and combine this with nanotechnology to develop interactive biomaterials that can modulate the immune system. We are applying this approach mainly in a context of anti-cancer therapy, but also have a strong interest in developing nanoparticle vaccines and drug delivery systems in general. 

 

Research team

8 PhD students at present

 

Biography 

Bruno De Geest graduated as Chemical Engineer in 2003 from Ghent University where he obtained his PhD in pharmaceutical sciences in 2006 for which he was awarded the graduate student award for pharmaceutical technology from the AAPS and the Andreas Deleenheer award from Ghent University. After 2 years of postdoctoral research at Utrecht University (The Netherlands) he returned to Ghent University. From October 2012 onwards he is appointed as assistant professor and since 2018 as associate professor. Bruno has published over 150 papers on multidisciplinary topic at the interface between materials chemistry and life sciences.

 

Key publications: 

• Lymph node targeted immune-activation by engineered block copolymer amphiphiles - TRL7/8 agonist conjugates. Van Herck S, Deswarte K, Nuhn L, Zhong Z, Portela Catani JP, Li Y, Sanders NN, Lienenklaus S, De Koker S, Lambrecht BN, David SA, De Geest BG
  Journal of the American Chemical Society, in press (doi: 10.1021/jacs.8b08595)

• Nanoparticle-conjugate TLR7/8 agonist localized immunotherapy provokes safe antitumoral responses. Lutz Nuhn, Stefaan De Koker, Sandra Van Lint, Zifu Zhong, João Portela Catani, Francis Combes, Kim Deswarte, Yupeng Li, Bart N. Lambrecht, Stefan Lienenklaus, Niek N. Sanders, Sunil A David, Jan Tavernier, Bruno G. De Geest
  Advanced Materials, in press (doi: 10.1002/adma.201803397)

• FRET monitoring of intracellular ketal hydrolysis in synthetic nanoparticles. Nuhn L, Van Herck S,  Best A, Deswarte K, Kokkinopoulou M, Lieberwirth I, Koynov K, Lambrecht BN, De Geest BG Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2018, 57, 10760.

• Well-defined polymeric pactlitaxel prodrugs via a grafting-from-drug approach
  Louage B, Nuhn L, Risseeuw MPD, Vanparijs N, De Coen R, Karalic I, Van Calenbergh S, De Geest BG Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2016, 55, 11791.

• pH-degradable imidazoquinoline-ligated nanogels for lymph node focused immune activation Nuhn L, Vanparijs N, De Beuckelaer A, Lybaert L, Verstraete G, Deswarte K, Lienenklaus S, Shukla NM, Salyer ACD, Lambrecht NB, Grooten J, David SA, De Koker S, De Geest BG Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2016, 113, 8098.
   

Contact & links:

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Department of Pharmaceutics
Ghent University
Ottergemsesteenweg 460
9000 Ghent
Belgium
+32 9 264 80 55

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