Seminar on Polymersomes as Versatile Tool for Biomimetic Cell Structures and Functions by Dietmar Appelhans, PhD

17 DEC 2024 (Tuesday) at 1:00 pm (GMT+3)

Boğaziçi University Kandilli Campus, Deep Technology Building, BTK Hall 1

Polymersomes as versatile tool for biomimetic cell structures and functions by Dietmar Appelhans, PhD

About the Seminar: In this talk, I will present multi-responsive polymersomes as a versatile tool for mimicking cell structures. To be successful in establishing biomimetic cell functions, the orchestration of different parameters for enzymatic nanoreactors is a prerequisite to control the location of enzymes (surface, membrane or lumen) and the permeability of the polymersome membrane. With this understanding of the complex relationships, it is possible to tune the function of artificial and therapeutic organelles as well as in hierarchically organised (supramolecular) structures. Examples will be shown for applications in the extracellular matrix, digestion, enzyme(-like) reactions and finally promising cooperative interactions with micrometer-sized objects.

About the Speaker: Dietmar Appelhans received his diploma (1990) and doctorate (1994) in chemistry from the Philipps University in Marburg, Germany. After a postdoctoral period (1994-1998) at the Technical University of Dresden (Germany), he joined the Macromolecular Chemistry Department of Prof. Brigitte Voit at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research in Dresden in 1999, where he has since held various senior positions. His research interests are (i) dendritic polymers as polymeric therapeutics and drug delivery systems, (ii) polymersomes and multicompartments for biomimetic, diagnostic, therapeutic and ON-OFF systems, and (iii) hydrogel-based microfluidics.