Konrad Bienk: Using albumin in the natural transport of therapeutics
PhD defence, Wednesday 28 October 2015. Konrad Bienk.
Many commercial drugs, including chemotherapeutics, have low efficiency and very severe side effects due to inefficient delivery caused by degradation, natural clearance mechanisms or non-specific accumulation. There is therefore an unmet need for new drug delivery systems.
In his PhD project, Konrad Bienk utilised albumin – the most abundant protein in the bloodstream – as a natural carrier for small interfering RNA (siRNA), a new class of molecular drug that interrupts the production of disease-associated proteins by the natural process of RNA interference. Albumin is the most abundant plasma protein involved in the natural transport of molecules around the body. This project successfully improved the therapeutic potential of siRNA using albumin as a carrier that significantly improves the blood circulatory half-life without the use of synthetic carrier molecules. Furthermore, the project shows a therapeutic effect of siRNA in murine studies using albumin as a carrier.
The PhD degree was completed at the NanoPharmaceutical Lab, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Science and Technology, Aarhus University.
This résumé was prepared by the PhD student.
Time: Wednesday 28 October 2015 at 14.15
Place: Lecture Theatre, iNANO House, building 1593, room 012, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C
Title of dissertation: Albumin-mediated delivery of siRNA
Contact information: Konrad Bienk, konrad.bienk@inano.au.dk, +45 2929 0909
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Roland Kontermann, Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology, University of Stuttgart, Germany
Professor Henrik Vorum, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Aalborg
Associate Professor Rikke Louise Meyer (chair), iNANO and Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University
Main supervisor:
Associate Professor Kenneth Alan Howard, iNANO, Aarhus University
Language: The dissertation will be defended in English
The defence is public.
The dissertation is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, room 112, 8000 Aarhus C.