prof. Bruno G. De Geest (PhD)

Our lab operates at the interface between materials chemistry and immunology. We have a strong interest in engineering the immune system via functional materials that can either modulate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile of immuno-modulatory stimuli and antigens. We combine this with developing strategies that modulate the interaction between immune cells and cancer cells. Our endeavours focus on engineering innate immune activation, cancer vaccines and T cell engineering.
 

Bruno graduated as Chemical Engineer in 2003 from Ghent University where he obtained his PhD in pharmaceutical sciences in 2006.
After 2 years of postdoctoral research at Utrecht University (The Netherlands) Bruno returned to the Ghent University.
In October 2012 Bruno was appointed as Assistant Professor, in 2017 as Associate Professor, and in February 2019 as Full Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutics at Ghent University.
He is currently a recipient of an ERC Consolidator Grant. 
 

• prof. Bruno G De Geest - principal investigator, BOF-TT professor
• dr. Zifu Zhong (PhD) - postdoctoral fellow
• dr. Steven Martens (PhD) - postdoctoral fellow
• dr. Yong Chen (PhD)  - postdoctoral fellow
• dr. Simon Van Herck (PhD) - postdoctoral fellow
• dr. Benoit Louage (PhD) - postdoctoral fellow
• Alexandra Van Driessche - doctoral fellow
• Sabah Kasmi - doctoral fellow
• Alexander Lamoot - doctoral fellow
• Tingting Ye - doctoral fellow
• Emily De Lombaerde - doctoral fellow
• Bianka Golba - doctoral fellow
• Diederick Maes - doctoral fellow
   

• Efficient innate immune killing of cancer cells triggered by cell surface anchoring of multivalent antibody-recruiting polymers ; Uvyn A, De Coen T, Gruijs M, Tuk CW, De Vrieze J, van Egmond M, De Geest BG ; Angewandte Chemie International Edition in press
• pH-sensitive hydrazone linked doxorubicin-nanogels via polymeric activated ester scaffolds: synthesis, assembly, in vitro and in vivo evaluation in tumor bearing zebrafish ; Van Driessche A, Kocere A, Everaert H, Nuhn L, Van Herck S, Griffiths G, Fenaroli F, De Geest BG ; Chemistry of Materials 2018, 30, 8587.
• Nanoparticle-conjugate TLR7/8 agonist localized immunotherapy provokes safe antitumoral responses ; Lutz Nuhn, Stefaan De Koker, Sandra Van Lint, Zifu Zhong, João Portela Catani, Francis Combes, Kim Deswarte, Yupeng Li, Bart N. Lambrecht, Stefan Lienenklaus, Niek N. Sanders, Sunil A David, Jan Tavernier, Bruno G. De Geest ; Advanced Materials 2018, 30, e18303397.
• Transiently Thermoresponsive Acetal Polymers for Safe and Effective Administration of Amphotericin B as Vaccine Adjuvant ; Van Herck Simon, Van Hoecke L, Louage B, Lybaert L, De Coen R, Kasmi S, Esser-Kahn A, David S, Nuhn L, Schepens B, Saelens X,; De Geest BG ; Bioconjugate Chemistry 2018, 29, 748.
• Potent anti-viral vaccine adjuvant based on pH-degradable nanogels with covalently linked small molecule imidazoquinoline TLR7/8 agonist ; Nuhn L, Van Hoecke L, Deswarte K, Schepens B, Li Y, Lambrecht BN, De Koker S, David SA, Saelens X, De Geest BG ; Biomaterials 2018, 178, 643.
• Targeting protumoral tutor-associated macrophages with nanobody-functionalized nano gels through SPAAC-ligation ; Nuhn L, Bolli E, Massa S, Vandenberghe I, Movahedi K, Devreese B, Van Ginderachter J, De Geest BG ; Bioconjugate chemistry 2018, 29, 2394.
• Nano-targeted double-edged induction of ferroptosis eradicates high-risk neuroblastoma ; Hassannia B, Wiernicki B, Ingold I, Qu F, Van Herck S, Tyurina YY, Bayır H, Abhari BA, Friedmann Angeli JP, Choi SM, Meul E, Heyninck K, Declerck K, Chirumamilla CS, Lahtela-Kakkonen M, Van Camp G, Krysko DV, Ekert PG, Fulda S, De Geest BG, Conrad M, Kagan VE, Vanden Berghe W, Vandenabeele P, Vanden Berghe T ; Journal of Clinical Investigations 2018, 128, 3341.
• Well-defined polymeric pactlitaxel prodrugs via a grafting-from-drug approach ; Louage B, Nuhn L, Risseeuw MPD, Vanparijs N, De Coen R, Karalic I, Van Calenbergh S, De Geest BG ; Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2016, 55, 11791.
• pH-degradable imidazoquinoline-ligated nanogels for lymph node focused immune activation ; Nuhn L, Vanparijs N, De Beuckelaer A, Lybaert L, Verstraete G, Deswarte K, Lienenklaus S, Shukla NM, Salyer ACD, Lambrecht NB, Grooten J, David SA, De Koker S, De Geest BG ; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2016, 113, 8098.
   

• Faculty of pharmaceutical Sciences, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent
• http://brdegeest.wix.com/biopharmtech-degeest 
• prof. De Geest is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks