dr. O. Koshkina (Olga)

I am an expert in colloid and polymer chemistry. My main goal is to develop efficient colloidal particles for imaging and therapy, linking their molecular design with function. I obtained my M.Sc.-equivalent (Dipl.-Chem.) in biomedical chemistry from the University of Mainz, Germany, and Ph.D. in colloid and polymer chemistry from the Technical University of Berlin, together with Fraunhofer IMM and Federal Institute for Materials Research. Connecting chemistry with biomedical research, I did my postdoc at the Tumor Immunology Lab at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen (NL). There, I developed novel imaging agents with unique structure for imaging cancer immunotherapies with ultrasound and ¹⁹F Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Subsequently, at Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research and collaborative Max-Planck-Twente Center, I expanded my work to the assembly of colloidal particles to supraparticles, developing new pathways to tailor-made materials. I received a prestigious Feodor Lynen Fellowship for Experienced Researchers form Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to start building my group at the University of Twente.

Engineering & Materials Science

# Coffee
# Deposits
# Self Assembly
# Silica
# Surface Properties

Chemistry

# Shape
# Surface
# Surface Modification

Faculty of Science and Technology (TNW), Sustainable Polymer Chemistry (SPC)

The main goal of my research is to develop polymeric and colloidal materials for biomedical use, from molecular design and understanding their properties, to their interactions with biomolecules and cells. Therefore, we synthesize tailor-made polymers, assemble them to nanocarriers, characterize their properties, and correlate them to function. We work with variety of techniques, including anionic polymerization, micro- and miniemulsion technique, static and dynamic light scattering and small angle neutron scattering. Current research directions include polymeric colloids for future application in quantitative heteronuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (19F, 31P). We further work on nanocarriers for ultrasound imaging, optoacoustics and drug delivery.

My vision is that this interdisciplinary approach will lead to powerful therapies in the future.