The Bernkop Group

Revolutionising Drug Delivery Systems and Biomaterials

Founded in 2003, The Bernkop Group is a large, multidisciplinary and vibrant research group, made up of a diverse cast of pharmacists, chemists, materials scientists, biologists and physicists.

Led by Professor Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch, our vision is to revolutionise drug delivery systems and biomaterials for healthcare use.

Our high-impact research is published in over 500 peer-reviewed papers, is regularly featured in the press, and is interfacing with the clinic.

It is the objective of the Bernkop Group to develop highly efficient drug delivery systems for the non-invasive administration of poorly absorbed drugs. This includes the development of oral, nasal, buccal, ocular and vaginal dosage forms for the following types of therapeutic agents:

therapeutic peptides, therapeutic proteins and peptidomimetics
oligo- and polysaccharide drugs
DNA- and RNA-based drugs

For the development of such delivery systems, novel advanced materials are designed and tested. Among them, thiolated polymers – designated as thiomers – and thiolated cyclodextrins are a main focus of research. Furthermore, the Bernkop Group has pioneered lipid-based nanocarriers and charge-converting nanocarriers for drug delivery. Current research on thiomers not only focuses on their application in drug delivery systems but also on their use as functional materials for 3D bioprinting.

The Bernkop Group collaborates with over 100 pharmaceutical companies worldwide and is responsible for the formulation development of numerous pharmaceutical products.

The Bernkop Group by the Numbers

Our team’s strength lies in a balanced mix of experienced researchers, emerging scientists, and a strong history of academic output. These numbers highlight the scope of our work, the people behind it, and the depth of our research experience.

Publication Spotlight

Discover some of our latest publications highlighting recent developments in our research. For a broader overview of our work, visit the research page to learn more about main topics and projects.