Welcome to the department of Prof. Katharina Landfester

Physical Chemistry of Polymers

We design adaptive molecular systems that mimic life and enable next-generation nanomedicine.

Our group explores how molecules give rise to adaptive molecular systems that bridge the gap from fundamental chemistry to life-inspired function. By designing artificial cells and nanocarriers, we investigate how molecules self-assemble, interact at interfaces, and evolve into higher-order systems with emergent, responsive behaviours. Our artificial cells serve as adaptive prototypes of life, dynamically reconfiguring in response to signals, while our nanocarriers provide precision in nanomedicine by tailoring their biological identity through controlled protein interactions. Guided by cutting-edge synthesis, advanced characterization, and interdisciplinary collaboration, we aim to establish the principles by which molecules become active, adaptive systems—creating a foundation for transformative biomedical applications and a deeper understanding of life-like functionality.


Science Day trotz Gewitterregen! Wir haben uns über viele Besucher gefreut. Kinderuni zum Thema 17 SDGs und Preisverleihung für Augmented Reality-Arbeiten von HSD-Studenten gehörten zu den Highlights. Aber auch Speed Dating mit Uladzimir Barayeu und Johannes Hunger sowie die Mitmachaktionen wurden dankbar angenommen. Wissenschaftskommunikation findet eben bei jeder Wetterlage statt! more

Felicia Schön attended the CIMT Annual Meeting in Mainz from May 11–13. During the Tumor Biology poster session, she presented her poster “Multiadjuvant antigen nanocapsule vaccination drives dendritic cell activation and reshapes the tumor microenvironment.” The conference offered a great opportunity to exchange ideas on the latest developments in cancer immunotherapy and translational research. more

Die Reihe Wissens Bissen ging in die zweite Runde: „Plant-based – die Zukunft? Was denken Forscher über Fleischersatz.“ Prof. Gunther Hirschfelder, Kulturanthropologe an der Universität Regensburg, und Prof. Thomas Vilgis, Lebensmittelwissenschaftler am MPI-P, beleuchteten die verschiedenen Aspekte von Veganismus und deren Auswirkungen auf Gesundheit und Gesellschaft.
Im Anschluss wurden die Gespräche beim Get-Together und beim Blind-Tasting weitergeführt.
Ein toller Abend! more

Zum ersten Mal fand der Workshop „Klamotten unter der Lupe“ statt. Eine Kooperation mit der Grünen Schule. Das Thema: natürliche und synthetische Textilfasern. So wurden Faserpflanzen im Botanischen Garten und Chemiefasern am MPI-P untersucht. Die Schulklasse konnte in dem Workshop eine Menge über die Vor- und Nachteile von Mono- und Mischfasern lernen und welche Auswirkungen das auf das Recycling von Textilfasern hat. more

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

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Printable Conductive Hydrogels for Electrochemical Biosensing and Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces

Lukas Hein, Renan Colucci, Xin Wei, Tsvetomir Ivanov, Katharina Landfester, Ulrike Kraft, Maria Villiou

© 2026 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH more

cDC1 sub-type-specific in vivo targeting of liposomes

M. Schaaf, M. Fichter, L. Jian, F. Schön, C. Jung, P. Schneider, K. Speth, A. Mateos-Maroto, V. Mailänder, K. Koynov, S. Morsbach, K. Landfester
Advanced Science, 2026, e15402

© 2026 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH more

Overcoming PEG Antigenicity: Statistical PEG Isomers Reduce Antibody Binding

M. Deuker, D. Schulz, K. Koynov, S. Morsbach, H. Frey, K. Landfester
Advanced Science, 2026, 13(7), e21061

© 2026 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH more

Integrating incompatible tandem photobiocatalysis in artificial cells enables metabolic modulation of natural cells

Z. Wang, S. P. Chali, T. P. Doan-Nguyen, S. Kim, V. Mailänder, S. Jiang, K. Landfester
Science Advances, 2025, 11, eadu4828

© 2025 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. more

Engineered protein corona sustains stealth functionality of nanocarriers in plasma

X. Zhang, S. Si, I. Lieberwirth, K. Landfester, V. Mailänder 
Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2025, 23, 512

© The Authors. Published by Springer Nature 2025 more

Binary peptide coacervates as an active model for biomolecular condensates

S. Cao, P. Zhou, G. Shen, T. Ivanov, X. Yan, K. Landfester, L. Caire da Silva
Nature Communications, 2025, 16, 2407

© The Authors. Published by Springer Nature Limited 2025. more

Nanoparticle characterisation via 2D classification using single particle averaging

I. Harley, A. Kaltbeitzel, F. Mazzotta, K. Koynov, S. S. Lembke, T. P. Doan-Nguyen, K. Landfester, I. Lieberwirth*
Nanoscale Horizons, 2025, 10, 1642

© The Authors. Published by Royal Society of Chemistry 2025 more

Temperature Sensing in Agarose/Silk Fibroin Translucent Hydrogels: Preparation of an Environment for Long-Term Observation

M. Micheva, S. Baluschev, K. Landfester
Nanomaterials, 2025, 15, 123

© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. more

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