Assaf Zinger, PhD
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At the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, my research group is developing biomimetic nanoparticles (NPs) to treat neurodegenerative pediatric diseases, traumatic brain injuries, and breast and ovarian cancers(www.TheZingerLab.com). Our lab's main goal is to become one of the world's leading research groups in developing targeted biomimetic NPsthat can encapsulate a wide range of therapeutic molecules, including mRNA, proteins, and small molecules, thus revolutionizing how we treat numerous diseases. For example: (1) We pioneered the development of MILKOSOMES, nanoparticles functionalized with membrane-associated proteins derived from human breast milk, designed to protect sensitive therapeutics and facilitate their transport across biological barriers. (2) Wemimic white blood cell binding to inflammatory sites and develop a macrophage biomimetic drug delivery system. (3) We also developed neuron biomimetic nanoparticles that mimic how neurons bind to other neurons through homotypic cell-cell adhesion proteins.
Personally, I have received more than 15 international and national excellence awards, among them: the Alon Scholarship for Outstanding Young Scientists, the most prestigious scholarship from the Israeli Council for Higher Education; the international Umbrella Award, focusing on Life Science and Engineering; the Norman Seiden Fellowship in Nanotechnology and Optoelectronics; the Career Advancement Chair; the Rita Levi-Montalcini Prize for scientific cooperation between Italy and Israel;and the Controlled Release Society Young Investigator Award. I was also elected as a member of the Global Young Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
I hold two Adjunct Assistant Professor positions in the Cardiovascular Science and Neurosurgery Departments at Houston Methodist Academic Institute, TX, USA, and serve as a Visiting Professor at the University of Turin, Italy. Finally, I was awarded the prestigious ERC Starting Grant for exploring how human breast milk biomimetic nanoparticles might pave the way for a new oral drug delivery system
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