Our research aims at developing and characterizing nature-inspired approaches which can be employed to address biomedical challenges. One of those approaches is therapeutic cell mimicry that substitutes for missing and/or lost cellular function.

Organelle deficiency related medical conditions are challenging to address. We approach this issue by developing artificial organelles – vesicles loaded with enzymatic cargo assembled from polymers and lipids, to be used for intracellular biocatalysis.

Another focus point for our research is biological nanobots envisioned to exhibit autonomous locomotion with the goal of actively interacting with biological entities – cell and organelles. We aim to establish colloidal carriers equipped with enzymatic motors using fuel available in the biological environment.

A third field of interest is the assembly of artificial cells. Integrating these cells in biological tissue will yield bionic tissue and form an alternative concept in tissue engineering. Droplet-microfluidics is used to assemble subcompartmentalized hydrogel particles coated with recognition elements for successful integration into growing tissue.

The group is also involved in a collaborative effort between Aarhus University and DuPont Nutrition Bioscience ApS to develop platforms for the incorporation of satiety-enhancing ingredients into everyday food to counteract obesity.

Future research will use more complex combinations and integration of artificial and biological entities considering specific medical conditions.