LipoCoat is a biotech company founded in August 2016 and is specialized in ‘bio-inspired’ coatings that improve the safety, comfort, and performance of medical devices. Our pipeline comprises of products in the medical device space e.g. eye care and catheters. Our ambition is to improve health and well-being through the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel surface solutions.

My aim is to harness cell behavior through tuning physico-chemical properties of 2D/3D biointerfaces using supramolecular chemistry, so that in 5 years from now, we will generate anisotropic synthetic matrices made from ECM components with defined anchor dynamics. Our approach contrasts with state-of-the-art matrices that primarily depend on anchor stillness, which prevents natural relocation of adhesion sites, or on animal-derived hydrogels featuring complex compositions that frequently cause inconsistent results. Reduction in variability and unpredictability of cellular responses to biomaterials implanted in the body ultimately determines the fate and outcome of any implant and by that the recovery potential of patients. We build upon prior key achievements from my group in areas of dynamic chemical strategies for anchoring peptides/proteins while retaining their function, for functionalizing cell membranes with supramolecular motifs, for photo-/electroactive programming cell behavior, for fabricating gradients to threshold cell binding, for expanding kinetic/thermodynamic understanding of supramolecular interactions at surfaces, incl. single-cell/molecule force microscopy and for fabricating non-fouling platforms. Our projects impact the design of high-performance biomaterials, cell-tissue constructs and advanced culturing systems. We tailor new cell-instructive biointerfaces with dynamic complexity in combination with lithographic and microscopic technologies. We expand our in-vivo validation of cell-instructive interfaces and intensify activities such as Lipocoat B.V. for commercializing bio-inspired coatings for healthcare applications.

Supramolecular ChemistryMesa Institute for Nanotechnology

Molecular Nanofabrication

Alexander von Humboldt fellowMPI for Molecular PhysiologyChemical Biology Advisor: Prof H. Waldmann

Nanoscopic supramolecular architectures based on p-conjugated oligomers.Thesis Advisor: Prof E.W. Meijer

M.Sc. Chemical Engineering

VWO