Assaf Zinger, PhD, Senior Lecturer

At the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, my research group is developing biomimetic nanoparticles (NP) to treat neurodegenerative pediatric diseases, traumatic brain injuries, and breast and ovarian cancers.

Biomimetic strategies represent a paradigm shift in the design of NP, enabling next-generation platforms capable of effectively interfacing and interacting with complex biological systems through biomimicry of native cells. Biomimetic NP harnesses the specific and unique biological function of native cells to improve NP while maintaining the delivery capabilities of traditional NP. More specifically, in our group, we examine how membrane proteins extracted from native cells can be incorporated into synthetic nanometric drug delivery systems in order to improve their ability to target cells, thus increasing the efficacy of the drugs carried by them while preventing damage to healthy tissues.

Our lab's main goal is to be one of the world's leading research groups in developing targeted biomimetic NP that can encapsulate a wide range of therapeutic molecules, including mRNA, proteins, and small molecules, thus revolutionizing the way we treat numerous diseases.