Speaker: Prof. Tanja Weil, professer from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research

Title: Towards Cell-type-Specific Therapeutics - Autonomous Drug Synthesis and Bioactive Nanostructure Assembly

Time: 9:00 October 19th, 2025 (Sunday)

Venue: Conference room 318, Building No.5

Host: Prof. Chunying Chen

Info. of Speaker：

Next-generation nanotherapeutics aim to precisely target the cellular microenvironment, leveraging cell-type specificity to enhance efficacy and safety. By designing bioresponsive peptides that react with unique cellular stimuli such as pH, redox states, reactive oxygen species, glutathione, and light, we achieve on-site synthesis of drug molecules and controlled formation of bioactive nanostructures within complex cellular environments. As a result, these synthetic peptide nanostructures can modulate vital cellular functions, including disrupting respiration and inducing programmed cell death of cancer cells, or activating T-cells, while also facilitating viral vector delivery by integrating into the extracellular matrix to improve gene therapy. To optimize our peptide design for bioactivity, we employ data mining and machine learning techniques, enabling precise control over multiscale structure formation. This strategy paves the way for cell-type specific drug delivery systems that combine selectivity with therapeutic efficacy, addressing the challenges of targeted nanomedicine.

Abstract:

Prof. Dr. Tanja Weil joined the Max Planck Society in 2017 as one of the directors of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, heading the division "Synthesis of Macromolecules". She studied chemistry (1993–1998) at the TU Braunschweig (Germany) and the University of Bordeaux I (France) and completed her PhD at the MPI for Polymer Research under the supervision of K. Müllen. In 2003, she received the Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society. From 2002 to 2008 she managed different leading positions at Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH (Frankfurt) from Section Head Medicinal Chemistry to Director of Chemical Research and Development. In 2008 she accepted an Associate Professor position at the National University of Singapore. Tanja Weil joined Ulm University as Director of the Institute of Organic Chemistry III / Macromolecular Chemistry in 2010. She has received numerous competitive funding at both national and international level including a Synergy Grant of the European Research Council (ERC). She serves in many advisory boards and steering committees: she is a member of the senate of the German Research Foundation, a member of the senate of the Leibniz Association and of the Leibniz evaluation panel. Tanja is an associate editor for JACS and a member of the editorial advisory board of ACS Nano. Her scientific interests focus on innovative synthesis concepts to achieve functional macromolecules and hybrid materials to solve current challenges in biomedicine and material science.