Award Winners 2024
THUDICHUM YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD
On 11 September 2024, the members of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Phospholipid Research Center awarded one researcher the Thudichum Young Scientist Award for excellent publications on phospholipid research. The winner received € 5,000 for the achievements.
In 2024, the members of the scientific committee awarded the Thudichum Young Scientist Award to Martin Balouch (Prague, Czech Republic). Dr. Balouch was honored for his outstanding and original contributions on optimizing drug-liposome compatibility through a detailed study of drug permeability and partitioning across phospholipid bilayers. He used COSMOPerm calculations and fluorescent dye experiments to assess how different molecules interact with liposomes. His findings categorized drugs into groups based on their permeability and compatibility with liposomes: too permeable, membrane suitable, pH switchable, thermally releasable, and non-permeable. This classification helps in predicting a drug’s potential for effective liposome formulation.
Additionally, the study explored computational prodrug design to enhance drug-liposome compatibility. Notable findings included non-linear increases in permeability and partitioning with certain prodrugs, such as fructose-adducts, which showed significantly different permeability characteristics. These insights could lead to improved liposome-based delivery systems by tailoring drug formulations to better integrate with liposomal carriers.
