Research

• Formulation and physicochemical characterization of micro- and nanoparticles, nanofibres and nanacrystals as delivery systems for innovative drugs (DNA/RNA, proteins, peptides, natural drugs, etc.)
• Development of sustainable and green preparation techniques for nanomaterials
• Safe-by-Design and GxP concepts, process optimization
• Strategies for drug targeting
• Applications in pharmacy, medicine and cosmetics with a focus on inflammation, cancer, aging

Selected Papers:

Dusek N, Hotzel K, Heinze T , Fischer D (2020) The Role of Formamidine Groups in Dextran Based Nonviral Vectors for Gene Delivery on Their Physicochemical and Biological Characteristics. Macromol. Biosci. 2000220

Dirauf M, Grune C, Weber C, Schubert US, Fischer D 2020 Poly(ethylene glycol) or poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) – A systematic comparison of PLGA nanoparticles from the bottom up. Eur Polym J 134 109801

Cokca C, Zartner L, Tabujew I, Fischer D, Peneva K (2020) Incorporation of Indole Significantly improves the Transfection Efficiency of Guanidinium-Containing Poly(Methacrylamide)s, Macromol Rapid Commun 41(6), 1900668

The natural hydropolymer nanocellulose (BNC) is an innovative biomaterial, produced by strains of Gram-negative Komagataeibacter xylinus. The interest in BNC as drug delivery system dramatically increased during last years, as the nanosized 3D-network of BNC is expected to hold a large amount of drug molecules due to its large surface area.

Activities:

• Development of tailored loading and release strategies for drugs (loading efficiency, speed of loading, drug location, release profiles)
• Custom-design as immediate and sustained drug release system for ready to use and bedside applications
• Application as high potential drug delivery systemsion pharmacy, medicine  and cosmetics (e.g. antisepticcs, antibiotics, natural drugs, proteins, peptide, DNA/RNA, etc.)

Selected Papers:

Karl B, Alkhatib Y, Beekmann U, Bellmann T, Blume G, Steiniger F, Thamm J, Werz O, Kralisch D, Fischer D (2020), Development and characterization of bacterial nanocellulose loaded with Boswellia serrata extract containing nanoemulsions as natural dressing for skin diseases. Int J Pharm. 587

Pötzinger Y, Rabel M, Ahrem H, Thamm J, Klemm D, Fischer D (2018) Polyelectrolyte layer assembly of bacterial nanocellulose whiskers with plasmid DNA as biocompatible non-viral gene delivery system. Cellulose, 3/2018

Pötzinger Y, Kralisch D, Fischer D (2017) Bacterial Nancellulose: The future if controlled drug release delivery? Ther. Deliv. 8 (9), 753-761

Alkhatib Y, Dewaldt M, Moritz S, Nitzschke R, Kralisch D, Fischer D, (2017) Controlled extended octrenidine release from bacterail nanocellulose/Poloxamer hybrid system. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 112, 164-176

Müller A, Zink M, Hessler N, Wesarg F, Müller FA, Kralisch D, Fischer D (2014) Bacterial nanocellulose with shape memory effect as potential drug delivery system. RSC Adv. 4, 57173-57184

Moritz S, Wiegand C, Wesarg F, Hessler N, Müller FA, Kralisch D, Hipler UC, Fischer D (2014) Active wound dressings based on bacterial nanocellulose as drug delivery system for octenidine. Int J Pharm. 471(1-2), 45-55

Alternative to Animal Experiments (3R Concept)

Safety and biocompatibility of (nano)materials are inverstigated throughout the complete life cycle of materials in the body (short-term and long-term toxicity) taking only the synthesized form, but also the behaviour in relevant test media, in combination with biomolecule coronas as well as degradation products and aged materials into consideration.

• Biocompatibility testing of materials (acc. to relevant guidelines)
• Aspects of nanosafweety including the developement of alternatives to animal models according to the 3R concept
• Biopharmaceutical in vitrommoedls (2D and 3D) to characterize durg transport in the body (skin, lung, colon, blood-brain barrier, blood, tumor, hen`s eggs)

Selected Papers:

Warncke P, Fink S, Wiegand c, Hipler UC, Fischer D, (2020). A shell-less hen’s egg test as infection model to determine the biocompatibility and antimicrobial efficacy of drugs and drug formulations against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Int. J. Pharm 585, 119557

Rabel M, Warncke P, Grüttner C, Bergemann C, Kurland HD, Müller R, Dugandžić v, Thamm J, Müller FA, Popp J, Cialla-May D, Fischer D (2019). Simulation of the long-term fate of superparamagnetic iron oxide-based nanoparticles using simulated biological fluids, Nanomedicine 14(3) 1681-1706

Schlenk F, Werner S, Rabel M, JacobsF, Bergemann C, Clement JH, Fischer D (2017). Comprehensive analysis of the in vitro and ex ovo hemocompatibility of surface engineered iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications. Arch Toxicol. April 4, 2017

Knop K, Hoogenboom R, Fischer D, Schubert US (2010). Poly(ethylene glycol) in drug delivery: pros and cons as well as potential alternatives. Angew. Chemie Int Ed Engl. 49(36), 6288-6308

Research Interests:

• Formulation science, liquid & freeze dried products: proteins, peptides, vaccines, nanoparticles, polyplexes and other drug delivery systems.
• Process science & optimization: Process Analytical Technology (PAT) and controlled nucleation strategies.
• Optimization of heat and mass transfer in freeze drying, with special focus on primary packaging materials.
• Scale-up and scale-down strategies, including miniaturization of the freeze drying process.
• Analytical procedures to improve assessment of quality for freeze dried products.

Ongoing Projects:

Identification of particle impurities in lyophilized products by µ-tomography.
Microscale freeze drying to improve economics in product development.

Most Recent Publications:

T Wenzel, M Gieseler, AM Abdul-Fattah, H Gieseler. Cycle Development in a Mini-Freeze Dryer: Evaluation of Manometric Temperature Measurement in Small-Scale Equipment. AAPS PharmSciTech 2021, 22(4):1-11.

T Wenzel, A Sack, P Müller, T Poeschel, S Schuldt-Lieb, H Gieseler. Stability of freeze-dried products subjected to microcomputed tomography radiation doses. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 2021, 73(2):212-220.

Im vorliegenden Projekt soll ein Transportsystem für die orale Applikation von mRNA-Impfstoffen entwickelt werden, welches den sicheren, stabilen und effizienten Transfer von mRNA in den Darm durch Verwendung säurestabiler Speziallipide gewährleistet.

Vorteilhaft sind (1) die patientenfreundliche Applikationsform, (2) die potentiell bessere Bioverteilung und höhere Stabilität der mRNAWirkstoffe und (3) ein einfacher und nachhaltiger Herstellungsprozess. Damit sollen mRNA-Impfungen einfach, kosteneffizient und ohne großen logistischen Aufwand, z.B. auch in Entwicklungsländern möglich werden.

Im Sonderforschungsbereich PolyTarget werden polymerbasierte, nanopartikuläre Trägermaterialien zur zielgerichteten Applikation von pharmazeutischen Wirkstoffen entwickelt. Im Vordergrund stehen Systeme, die zur Therapie von Krankheiten und Syndromen geeignet sind, deren Morbidität maßgeblich durch eine entzündliche Reaktion gekennzeichnet ist. https://www.polytarget.uni-jena.de/