ESR3: Selin Akpinar

Name: Selin Akpinar

Host Organisation: MyBiotech GmbH, Germany

Project Title: (Bio)polymer-based particulate formulations for the intranasal transmucosal delivery of Biopharmaceuticals

Supervisor: Dr. Nazende Günday Türeli

Objectives of the Project:

The overall goal of this project is to develop pharmaceutically approved (bio)polymer based biopharmaceutic delivery systems with tailored transmucosal passage properties.

The specific goals are:

  1. To develop nano- and/or micro-particles, which show enhanced drug delivery to brain and/or CNS via nasal administration using pharmaceutically approved formulation components ;
  2. To establish standard operating procedures (SOP) for manufacturing ;
  3. To characterize NPs and optimize NP preparation method to ensure safety and quality by adjusted process and formulation parameters
  4. To evaluate drug loading and release properties at the site of action.

Secondments:

  • QMUL
    • Task: To learn new particle characterization techniques available at QMUL to study quality-particle performance relation
    • Advisor: Prof. Marina Resmini
    • Duration: 1 month
  • LENS
    • Task: To learn characterisation of antibody release kinetics from nano/micro particles and their diffusion in physiological environment
    • Advisor: Dr. Martino Calamai
    • Duration: 1 month
  • HBC
    • Task: To learn and study ex-vivo and in-vivo nose to brain drug transport studies
    • Advisor: Prof. Katharina Zimmermann
    • Duration: 2 months

Short Biography:

Selin Akpinar obtained her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey with honors.

Following that, she studied for her Master of Science degree in Nanomedicine for Drug Delivery in an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree programme, NANOMED, as an Erasmus Mundus scholarship awardee by the EU Commission. During her international mobility master’s degree, she studied at the University of Paris and the University of Angers in France, the University of Pavia in Italy, and the University of Patras in Greece. For her master’s thesis research, she worked on the development of novel drug delivery systems at MyBiotech GmbH in Germany, where she also continues her doctoral research under the MSCA Bio2Brain project along with Saarland University.

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