Main Research Projects

Our research group is developing novel transporter-utilizing (pro)drugs to:

1. Improve the drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and selectively into different cell types (neurons, astrocytes or microglia) within brain (intra-brain targeting) via different transporters
2. Explore if dual targeting of LAT1-utilizing compounds into the brain and simultaneously into the pancreas (brain-pancreas axis) can have beneficial effects on the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
3. Target chemotherapeutics (prodrugs or drug analogues) selectively into the cancer cells and inhibit specific transporter’s function to block nutrient delivery into the cancer cell or drug efflux out of the cancer cells (chemoresistance) to increase antiproliferative effects

We are also interested in how to modulate specific transporters’ expression or function to regulate nutrient or toxin uptake e.g., into the brain or across the placenta that can affect the progression of neurological diseases or development of the fetus, respectively.

We have recently also started a new research project on how to improve cardiac delivery of endogenous compounds, e.g., in the situations, such the heart failure, in which the transporter expression or function is altered.