We deliver medical compounds to the right place

Invasive fungal infections of the lungs or bloodstream, caused in particular by Aspergillus and Candida species, are on the rise and pose a medical challenge. Diagnosis is often too late, treatment options are limited, and mortality rates are consequently very high. Currently, there are only four approved classes of antifungal drugs, the most recent of which came onto the market more than two decades ago. The development of new active compounds often fails due to their pharmacological properties such as toxicity, poor solubility, or low bioavailability.

Our goal is to improve these properties through drug delivery approaches and thus develop new treatment options. Targeted delivery and controlled release of the active ingredients in low concentrations at the site of infection increases efficacy while reducing systemic side effects. New delivery systems such as nanoparticles also offer the advantage that the pharmacological properties of these formulations are determined by the particle material and no longer by the active ingredient itself.

With our interdisciplinary team, we have already developed an active ingredient-loaded nanoparticle for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis that can recognize pathogen-specific structures and attack them in a targeted manner. We are currently optimizing this nanoparticle for clinical development. For further delivery approaches, we are using the nanoparticle platform technology as a modular system. This allows us to adapt delivery systems quickly, flexibly, and systematically to the respective requirements.