N2B-patch project advisor Dr. Matthias Schnabelrauch (INNOVENT e.V. )

Dr. Matthias Schnabelrauch (INNOVENT e.V.) is one of three project advisors for the N2B-patch project.

Within this short interview Dr. Schnabelrauch informed us about his experiences with European research project, how he become involved into N2B-patch, about his role and expertise.

 

1. Is this your first involvement in a European research project? How did you become involved in the N2B-Patch project?

 Until today, I was involved in 3 European research projects, namely Find and Bind (FP7-NMP-2008-SMALL-2), ArtiVasc 3D (FP7-NMP-2010-LARGE-4), and STEP (FP7-SME-2012) and one European TEMPUS Project of the EACEA (WIMB, Tempus VI, 2013). In addition our group participated in several multi-national projects funded by institutions outside Germany (Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), Norwegian Research Council (NRC), MIUR-DAAD Joint Mobility Program (PPP Italy)).

I got involved into the N2B-Patch project by many contacts with the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB made during the ArtiVasc 3D EU project. Both the IGB and my research organization INNOVENT have been participated within this project and worked together very closely.

 

2. Why did you accept to be part of the advisory board?

 I accepted the invitation to be part of the advisory board by several reasons. At first, I was fascinated by the idea of the project to develop a new but relatively simple, innovative route of drug transport from the nose to the brain bypassing the blood-brain-barrier. The development of such “nose to brain” drug delivery systems would have with no doubt a huge potential to much more efficiently treat diseases of the central nerve system like Multiple Sclerosis. Another reason is that the project focuses on the generation of a multifunctional, biomaterial-based galenic formulation containing biodegradable polymer particles embedded into a biodegradable hydrogel matrix to be deposited as a patch onto the olfactory region. As a biomaterial scientist our research group is working for many years with both nano and micro structured biodegradable polymers and especially with gel-forming materials derived from hyaluronic acid and further polysaccharides.

 

3. What is your role and expertise? What are you bringing to the project?

My major expertise is on polymer chemistry with a strong focus on biodegradable polymers as well as on the synthesis and characterisation of hydrogel materials usable in regenerative medicine and drug delivery applications.

I have been working for 20 years on both the synthesis of tailor-made polylactones for different drug delivery applications and the chemical modification and processing of hyaluronic acid and other polysaccharides making these complex natural polymers applicable for new innovative medical products. I would be happy to bring this knowledge into the N2B-Patch project in order to make a small contribution that the fascinating ideas of the project will come true in the future.

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