Invitation to iCONM Scientific Seminar
Speaker︓

Prof. Dr. Ulrich S. Schubert
Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC)
Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
Title︓
Next generation pharmapolymers and AI/ML-assisted
nanoparticle libraries for nanomedicine applications
Date & Time︓ November 20, 2023, 2pm-4pm (including Discussion)

Place︓

iCONM #3001 Meeting Room

Summary︓
The development of functional and specifically optimized polymers for modern medicine
is of increasing importance. Especially in the field of nanomedicine, polymers can play acrucial role as smart nanoparticle-forming materials. By matching the properties ofpolymer and nanoparticles, it is possible to target organs or regions of interest. To thisend, polymeric nanoparticles are prepared that contain active ingredients that can betransported to the appropriate site. This minimizes side effects and increases the drugconcentrations at the specific site of action.
However, research on such polymers has been very haphazard, and general structureproperty relationships are poorly known and studied. The Jena approach pursues thesynthesis of systematic polymer and nanoparticle libraries using high-throughput
experiments (HTE) and their subsequent detailed analysis with respect to their properties.
The large number of experiments generates many data sets that can be used forevaluation and analysis. In perspective, this makes it possible to develop a tailor-madedesign of new pharmapolymers and particles in order to target a specific organ or region
in the human body.
This new approach will change the development of pharmaceutical polymers and thedesign of nanoparticles for nanomedicine in the long term, ultimately enabling general
structure-property relationships. In addition, the current gold standard PEG as stealthpolymer needs to be replaced due to the widespread existence of antibodies. This isparticularly important for mRNA drug development.
Selected recent references:
Small 2023, doi: 10.1002/smll.202306116; Cell Reports Phys. Sci. 2023, 4, 101553; Adv. Funct.
Mater. 2023, doi: 10.1002/adfm.202309844; Int. J. Pharmaceutics: X 2023, 5, 100173, Macromol.
Rapid Commun. 2023, 44, 2200651; J. Chem. Edu. 2023, 100, 751; ACS Appl. Polym. Mater.
2022, 4, 3417-3425; Biomacromolecules 2022, 23, 3593-3601; Progr. Polym. Sci. 2022, 129,101547; Polymers 2022, 14, 292; Bioconjugate Chem. 2022, 33, 97-104; J. Nanobiotechnology
2022, 20, 5; Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 2022, 79, 40; Biomacromolecules 2021, 22, 4521-4534; Adv. Sci.

2021, 2102429; Adv. Mater. 2021, 33, 2004940; Eur. Polym. J. 2021, 156, 110606; Macromol.
Rapid Commun. 2021, 42, 2100132; EMBO Mol. Med. 2021, 13, e14436; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
2021, 60, 4925-4930; ACS Nano 2021, 15, 12298-12313.

Biography of Prof. Ulrich S. Schubert
Ulrich S. Schubert performed his Ph.D. studies at the Universities ofBayreuth/Germany and South Florida/USA. After a postdoctoral training position
with Prof. Lehn at the University of Strasbourg/France, he moved to the TU
Munich/Germany and obtained his Habilitation in 1999. In 1999–2000 he wasprofessor at the University of Munich/Germany, and during 2000 and 2007 full
professor at the TU Eindhoven/The Netherlands. Since 2007, he has been a full
professor for organic and macromolecular chemistry at the Friedrich Schiller
University Jena/Germany. He is the founding director of the Center for Energyand Environmental Chemistry Jena (CEEC Jena) and the Jena Center for Soft
Matter (JCSM) as well as the coordinator of the EU ETN POLYSTORAGE, of theDFG priority program “Polymer-Based Batteries” (SPP 2248) and spokesman ofthe DFG collaborative research center SFB1278 “PolyTarget”.
Ulrich S. Schubert is co-author of 1.200 scientific publications. They received
67.500 citations (Google Scholar 90.500); his h-index is 115 (Google Scholar132). Ulrich S. Schubert is listed as "highly cited researcher" since 2014. Inaddition, he is an external scientific member of the Max Planck Society(MPG/Germany), elected member of acatech (National Academy of Science andEngineering/Germany), elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors/USAand fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry/UK. U.S. Schubert was awarded
with the Federal Cross of Merit/Germany and named University Professor of theYear 2019/Germany. Since July 2023 he is founding director of the new Helmholtz
Institute HIPOLE JENA (as part of the Helmholtz Center Berlin, HZB).
Prof. Dr. Ulrich S. SchubertFriedrich Schiller University Jena
Laboratory for Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry
Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM)
Center for Energy and Environmental Chemistry Jena (CEEC Jena)
Humboldtstrasse 10, 07743 Jena, Germany
www.schubert-group.de; ulrich.schubert@uni-jena.de