The evolution of mitochondria-targeted nanotherepeutitics
Speaker
Volkmar Weissig
Volkmar Weissig is a Tenured Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy and a Professor of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Graduate Studies at Midwestern University. Dr. Weissig received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry and his postdoctoral Sc.D. degree (“Habilitation”) in Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from the Martin-Luther University in Halle (Germany). Combined he completed several years of postdoctoral fellowships at the Cardiology Research Center in Moscow (Russia), at the Academic Department of Medicine at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in London (UK), at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the Czechoslovakian Academy of Science in Prague (CSFR), at the College of Pharmacy and the College of Medicine at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL and at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. Before joining the faculty at Midwestern University, Dr. Weissig was an Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Dr. Weissig holds 16 patents and has published over 120 research papers, review articles and book chapters, mostly in the area of nano drug delivery systems and mitochondrial medicine. He also edited and published 13 books. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Liposome Research and he is member of several other Editorial Boards. In July 2009 he was inducted into the World Technology Network as a Fellow. Since October 2014 Dr. Weissig has been serving as the President of the World Mitochondria Society.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
This lecture will address the DQAsomes (dequalinium-based liposome-like vesicles) and Triphenylphosphonium cations bearing liposomes (TPP-liposomes). These are the prototype for all mitochondria-targeted vesicular pharmaceutical nanocarrier systems. First described in 1998 in a paper, DQAsomes have been successfully explored for the delivery of DNA and low-molecular weight molecules to mitochondria within living mammalian cells. Moreover, they also have triggered the design and development of a large variety of similar mitochondria-targeted nanocarriers. The development of DQAsomes and TPP-liposomes as well as their application for mitochondrial gene therapy and mitochondria-targeted pro-apoptotic anticancer chemotherapy will be addressed.
AGENDA
1) To understand DQAsomes (dequalinium-based liposome-like vesicles).
2) To understand Triphenylphosphonium cations bearing liposomes (TPP-liposomes).
3) To understand the development and application for mitochondrial gene therapy and mitochondria-targeted pro-apoptotic anticancer chemotherapy.
"Our responsibility is, to the extent of our view into the future, to form the present felicitous for the next generation according to the best of our knowledge and belief”
Theodor Billroth (1829-1894)
