The increasing microplastic pollution in air, water and soil requires the development of robust and sensitive analytical methods to better understand and address the problem. Plastics are cheap, stable and corrosion resistant, making this class of materials attractive for many applications. Plastics consist of long chains of polymer molecules made…

Our findings of the SiNP Food project, a Argovia Project funded by the Swiss Nanoscience Institute are now published in the open access Journal ACS Omega with the title “High-Throughput Silica Nanoparticle Detection for Quality Control of Complex Early Life Nutrition Food Matrices” (https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c09459)Publication ACS Omega…

We design novel bio-based polymers to develop biocompatible and biodegradable nanocarriers as alternatives to e.g. PEG.

We develop compartmentalized vesicles with internal compartments that can be triggered independently and selectively to release their cargo. Libraries of novel stimuli-responsive block co-polymers are prepared for vesicle formation, and release is actuated by external stimulus such as light, magnetic field, etc.

Combining the stability of polymers with transfection efficiency of lipids, we developed polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles, which can be stored as lyophilized powder and display long-term storage stability also in suspension. Lyophilization does not impair transfection efficiency.

Diverse nanoparticle formulations based on polymers, lipids, and combinations thereof, loaded with (bio)therapeutics such as antimicrobial peptides, small molecule drugs, and nucleic acids are developed to combat infectious diseases and cancer. We further develop inorganic nanoparticles (metal and semiconductor) and drug-conjugated luminescent probes with cleavable linkers for simultaneous therapy and…

Using top-down and bottom-up synthesis, encapsulation, surface engineering, and bioconjugation approaches, we develop nanoparticles with precisely defined and controlled size, morphology, composition, and surface functionality, and tailor them for the desired biological targets and functions.

The groundbreaking work that led to the emergence of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represents a major milestone in the design of materials with controlled atomic or molecular architectures. MOFs are organic-inorganic crystalline materials; they have attracted particular attention owing to their tremendously high surface area and tunable pore size, properties that…

Nymphe is a four-year European project dedicated to tackling environmental pollution by developing innovative bioremediation solutions.
The ambition is to remove multiple pollutants (such as microplastics and pesticides in agricultural soil, and chlorinated solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater and sediments in the industrial area) from different contaminated sites in Europe.