Project

Bio-encapsulation in yeast for delivery of intestinal epithelium-protecting and microbiome-manipulating biopharmaceuticals

Code
3S018916
Duration
01 January 2016 → 31 December 2019
Funding
Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Engineering and technology
    • Biomaterials
    • Biomedical instrumentation
    • Biochemical engineering
    • Molecular and cellular biomechanics
Keywords
Bio-encapsulation biofarmaceutics
 
Project description

The composition of the intestinal microbiome and the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier is crucial for the proper functioning of the human physiology. As a result, this field of research provides various targets in order to intervene pharmacologically into it, both in the body's own cells concerned and as regards the bacterial species present. The intervention with high specificity on molecular targets has been achieved up to now with biopharmaceutical protein therapeutics, where the applications concerned whereby the targets could be achieved via the blood stream. The gastro-intestinal system on the other hand, constitutes a highly hostile environment for proteins, as a result of the natural digestive function. Nevertheless, we believe that innovative technology with this problem can be developed to go, because there is more freedom in the engineering of therapeutic proteins since the immunogenicity of the gastrointestinal tract is naturally much less restrictive. This doctoral project therefore has the overall goal of developing a production-economic and versatile delivery technology for protein therapeutics in the gastrointestinal system