Welcome to the department of Prof. Katharina Landfester

Our team participated in the Zsigmondy Colloquium 2026 in Erlangen under the theme "Characterisation Tools for Particle Systems and Their Functional Assemblies", organized by Prof. Nicolas Vogel (FAU Erlangen). Richard Ziegler delivered a talk on "Design of Peptide Nanocapsules for Biomedical Applications", while Catherina Zambelli presented her research in a poster session. The colloquium continues to support young scientists across academia, research institutions, and industry. more

Gabrielle Ong and Florian Deussen represented our group at the German Conference on Synthetic Biology in Münster (March 11–13). Gabrielle presented her poster on “Designing Permeable Artificial Cells for Tumor Microenvironment Modulation”, while Florian delivered a Flash Talk on “Paracrine-like Communication in Polymer-based Artificial Cells via Aptamer Biosensors for Theophylline”. Great science, great presence! more

We are proud to announce that Carina Jung has successfully completed her doctoral dissertation with distinction. Her research, titled "Surface Functionalization of Nanocarriers for Biomedical Applications", represents a significant contribution to the field of nanomedicine and cancer immunotherapy. Carina’s work focuses on the development of advanced protein nanocapsules as next-generation nanovaccines. By precisely tuning the surface chemistry of these nanocarriers — through control of synthesis parameters and innovative functionalization strategies — she has demonstrated a powerful approach to enhance targeted delivery to dendritic cells, the key orchestrators of anti-tumor immune responses. more

The work package meeting brought together partners from across Europe to review progress in polymer synthesis and characterization, define application-driven material properties, and explore AI-powered optimization tools. Key outcomes included a clear roadmap for scalable production (5–15 kg) and strengthened data exchange between the synthesis teams. The meeting marked a pivotal step toward industrializing sustainable polymer solutions within the EU-funded Polymers5B project. more

Congratulations! Max Schaaf successfully defended his PhD thesis. His research focused on the development of surface-functionalized, drug-loaded liposomes for targeted activation of immune cells. By combining polymer-based design with advanced characterization, he achieved high in vivo targeting specificity (e.g., cDC1 dendritic cells) and stable encapsulation of poorly soluble drugs like diABZI. His work bridges polymer science, nanomedicine, and immunology — paving the way for next-generation precision therapies. more

Congratulations! Daksh successfully defends his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP) Thesis: "Automated Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM) Using Deep Learning" A groundbreaking approach to fully automated, unsupervised image registration across light and electron microscopy — eliminating manual annotation, enabling high-throughput analysis, and scaling to ultra-high-resolution datasets (up to 11,000×11,000 px). Paving the way for smarter, faster, and more reproducible multimodal biological imaging. more

At ICONN 2026 in Sydney, I presented a plenary lecture on Nanocapsules and Coacervates as Artificial Organelles, highlighting our work on artificial cells, small peptide coacervates, and key challenges for nanocapsules in biomedical applications. The conference provided an excellent platform for scientific exchange and discussion. Many thanks to Martina Stenzel and the organising team for an outstanding event, and to colleagues at UNSW Sydney for the opportunity to further exchange and present our work. more

In January, our group had the honour of presenting a plenary lecture at the 2026 RSC Chemical Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Interest Group Symposium at Burlington House, London. The historic venue and the inspiring atmosphere in the RSC Library made for a memorable event.
The talk, “Adaptive Nanomedicine: Designing Smart Therapeutic Systems,” led to many engaging questions and lively discussions, highlighting the interdisciplinary interest in nanoscience and its applications in healthcare, catalysis, and materials science.
Thanks to Daniela Carta for the kind invitation and excellent organisation. more