ESR 3 – Panagiotis Georgiou

ESR project: Development of Glyco-Nanoparticle Libraries Based on Gold/Polymer Hybrids

Supervisor: Prof Matthew I. Gibson

Institution: University of Warwick, UK

Country of origin: Cyprus

NanoCarb Research: Panagiotis work involves the design and synthesis of well-defined polymers via RAFT-mediated polymerization for glycan conjugation. The project goal to produce a library of simple glycopolymer building blocks that will be subsequently grafted into gold nanoparticle surfaces. The overarching aim of this work will be to fine-tune the glycan composition and polymer type and length to evaluate the nanoparticle behaviour and therapeutic effects.

Scientific Background: Panagiotis holds a B.Sc. degree in Chemistry (with specialisation in Biological Chemistry) from the University of Cyprus. During his final year, he undertook a research project in the area of colloids, investigating the development of protein-based nanoparticles as drug delivery systems. Following his graduation in 2017, he moved to the UK to pursue an M.Sc. (by Research) course in Chemistry at the University of Warwick under the supervision of Prof. Rachel O’Reilly. His work there focused on the preparation of novel nanomaterials by RAFT-mediated polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) for bio-related applications