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Veronica Liv Andersen: Tailor-made medicine from self-assembled biomolecules

PhD defence, Thursday, 22 November 2018. Veronica Liv Andersen.

Veronica Liv Andersen
Schematic representation of the proposed multifunctional nanostructure. The system consists of four modules carrying either multiple identical or different functional molecules, for instance a polymer for prolonging the circulation time in the blood stream, a targeting ligand for binding to specific disease-related receptors, an imaging agent for diagnostics and a bioactive drug.

Traditional methods for diagnostics and therapy for diseases, such as cancer, are often imprecise, and can thereby be both ineffective and cause severe side effects. Veronica Liv Andersen has in her PhD studies developed self-assembled nanostructures that can be used to form multifunctional therapeutic systems. By utilizing chemically modified nucleic acids, that are structurally and functionally similar to DNA and RNA, as building blocks for the scaffold itself, highly well-defined and biocompatible structures can be designed. The design principle, that is investigated in these studies, relies on the production of a number of different functional modules that subsequently can be assembled and combined, much like LEGO bricks, to form a structure that carries exactly the set of therapeutic molecules that are effective in a specific disease in an individual patient.

These results thereby contribute with new perspectives and methods to the field of personalized medicine and theranostics, the combination of precision therapy and diagnostics.

The PhD degree was completed at the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Science and Technology, Aarhus University.

This résumé was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Thursday, 22 November 2018 at 13.15
Place: Building 1593, room 012, the Lecture Theatre, iNANO House, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C
Title of PhD thesis Self-assembled nanoscaffolds for personalized medicine
Contact information: : Veronica Liv Andersen, e-mail: veronica.andersen@inano.au.dk, tlf.: 2083 2480
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor, Dr. Jonathan Hall, Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Schwitzerland
Professor Hanne Mørck Nielsen, Center for Biopharmaceuticals and Biobarriers in Drug Delivery, Drug Delivery and Biophysics of Biopharmaceuticals group, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
Associate Professor Ken Howard (chair), iNANO, Aarhus University
Main supervisor:
Professor Jørgen Kjems, iNANO and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Co-supervisor:
Professor Jesper Wengel, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1520 and 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.