# Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch

Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch (born in Klagenfurt, December 6, 1965) is an Austrian scientist and entrepreneur currently serving as Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology at the Institute of Pharmacy, University of Innsbruck.
His research focuses on drug delivery systems, dosage forms, controlled release mechanisms, bionanotechnology, polymer engineering and tissue engineering. He is the inventor of several technologies, including thiolated polymers, which he named thiomers in 2000, and phosphatase-triggered charge-converting nanoparticles designed for mucosal drug delivery.
Since 2014, Bernkop-Schnürch has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Denmark's Nicotine Science Center. From 2016 to 2018, he served on the Scientific Committee of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) of the European Union contributing to the Strategic Research Agenda for Horizon 2020 by advising on scientific priorities.
As an entrepreneur he founded multiple companies, including Thiomatrix Forschungs- und Beratungs GmbH, Mucobiomer Biotechnologische Forschungs- und Entwicklungs GmbH (now part of the Croma-Pharma GmbH) and Green River Polymers Forschungs und Entwicklungs GmbH. In recognition of his scientific impact, he is listed as a Highly Cited Researcher of the Institute for Scientific Information.

## Biography

Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch was born into a family of pharmacists in Austria. He pursued studies in pharmacy, microbiology and genetics at the University of Vienna, where he earned his doctorate in 1994. From 1994 to 1999, he served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Pharmacy at the University of Vienna. In 1999, he completed his habilitation in pharmaceutical technology receiving the "venia docendi" qualification. Since 2003, he has held the Chair of Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Innsbruck, where he leads the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology. Between 2006 and 2013, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy. In 2022, he was appointed as a visiting professor at the University of Bari Aldo Moro. Since 2021, Bernkop-Schnürch has been a member of the University of Innsbruck Senate.

## Research

Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch is recognized for his contributions to drug delivery systems, multifunctional polymers, and tissue engineering. He is the inventor and leading pioneer of thiolated polymers, known as thiomers, a new generation of bio- and mucoadhesive polymers that form disulfide bonds with cysteine-rich domains of endogenous proteins, including mucus glycoproteins and keratins. Several thiomer-based medicines have successfully completed clinical trials, with first products targeting conditions such as dry eye syndrome have now available on the global pharmaceutical market. In 2001, at the 4th Central European Symposium on Pharmaceutical Technology in Vienna, he introduced thiolated polysaccharides as novel biopolymers for tissue engineering. This innovation led to numerous products incorporating thiomers such as thiolated chitosans or thiolated hyaluronic acid, which are widely used in pharmaceutical and biomedical applications His work on thiomer technology also enabled the creation of thiolated nanoparticles utilized in drug delivery, diagnostics, and biosensorics. Among the smallest thiolated nanocarriers are thiolated cyclodextrins, introduced in 2015. These nanocarriers offer extended residence time on mucosal membranes, enhanced permeation efflux pump inhibition, and improved cellular uptake. Additionally, Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch developed charge-converting nanoparticles for mucosal drug delivery leveraging the membrane-bound enzyme alkaline phosphatase to trigger a change in zeta potential from negative to positive directly at the epithelium. This innovation addresses the polycation dilemma, wherein cationic nanoparticles—despite superior cellular uptake—are immobilized in mucus due to ionic interactions. Charge-converting nanoparticles overcome this barrier by altering their surface charge at the cellular interface. He also advanced foundational research in self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS), optimizing them for the mucosal delivery of macromolecular drugs, further enhancing the potential for improved therapeutic outcomes.

## Editing

Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch serves on the editorial boards of several pharmaceutical journals, including the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, the Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, Journal of Controlled Release, Scientia Pharmaceutica, Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, and the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutis.

## Awards

Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch has received more than 20 national and international awards in recognition of his scientific achievements. These honors include:
* Research-Award of the City of Vienna 1999
* Eurand-Award 2000
* Best of Biotech Award 2001
* MBPW Award 2002
* Best of Biotech Award 2003
* Adventure X Award 2004
* Most Cited Paper Awards 2004
* Phoenix Science Award for Pharmacy 2005
* Eurand Award 2007
* Austrian Nano Award 2008
* Ernst Brandl Award 2015
* Most Cited Paper Award 2017
* Gattefossé North America Award for Excellence in Research & Development with Lipid Excipients 2017
* Phoenix Science Award for Pharmacy 2022
* Science Award of Tyrol (de:Tiroler Landespreis für Wissenschaft) 2023

## Selected works

Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch is author of over 500 research articles and reviews. He has also served as editor and (co-)author of multiple books in the field of pharmaceutical sciences.
* Asim, MH; Ijaz, M; Rösch, AC; Bernkop-Schnürch, A (2020). "Thiolated cyclodextrins: New perspectives for old excipients". Coordination Chemistry Reviews. 420: 213433. doi:10.1016/j.ccr.2020.213433.
* Leichner, C; Jelkmann, M; Bernkop-Schnürch, A (2019). "Thiolated polymers: Bioinspired polymers utilizing one of the most important bridging structures in nature". Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. 151–152: 191–221. doi:10.1016/j.addr.2019.04.007. PMID 31028759. S2CID 135464452.
* Federer, C; Kurpiers, M; Bernkop-Schnürch, A (2021). "Thiolated Chitosans: A Multi-talented Class of Polymers for Various Applications". Biomacromolecules. 22 (1): 24–56. doi:10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00663. PMC 7805012. PMID 32567846.
* Griesser, J; Hetényi, G; Bernkop-Schnürch, A (2018). "Thiolated Hyaluronic Acid as Versatile Mucoadhesive Polymer: From the Chemistry Behind to Product Developments-What Are the Capabilities?". Polymers. 10 (3): 243. doi:10.3390/polym10030243. PMC 6414859. PMID 30966278.
* Hock, N; Racaniello, GF; Aspinall, S; Denora, N; Khutoryanskiy, V; Bernkop-Schnürch, A (2022). "Thiolated Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications: Mimicking the Workhorses of our Body". Advanced Science. 9 (1): 2102451. doi:10.1002/advs.202102451. PMC 8728822. PMID 34773391.
* Grassiri, B; Zambito, Y; Bernkop-Schnürch, A (2021). "Strategies to prolong the residence time of drug delivery systems on ocular surface". Advances in Colloid and Interface Science. 288: 102342. doi:10.1016/j.cis.2020.102342. PMID 33444845. S2CID 230584233.
* Summonte, S; Racaniello, GF; Lopedota, A; Denora, N; Bernkop-Schnürch, A (2021). "Thiolated polymeric hydrogels for biomedical application: Cross-linking mechanisms". Journal of Controlled Release. 330: 470–482. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.12.037. PMID 33359581. S2CID 229694027.
* Kali, G; Knoll, P; Bernkop-Schnürch, A (2022). "Emerging technologies to increase gastrointestinal transit times of drug delivery systems". Journal of Controlled Release. 346: 289–299. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.04.016. PMID 35461970.
* Noreen, S; Bernkop-Schnürch, A (2023). "Thiolated poly- and oligosaccharide-based hydrogels for tissue engineering and wound healing". Advanced Functional Materials. 34 (4): 2310129. doi:10.1002/adfm.202310129.