BioGelator: peptide-based hydrogel platform for controlled drug delivery

Intravenous administration of biologics is burdened by a generally low bioavailability at the active site and systemic adverse events. The BioGelator platform entails a novel class of short, tuneable peptides that self-assemble into a biodegradable hydrogel with a unique shear-thinning behavior. In this way, a peptide hydrogel pre-loaded with a therapeutic cargo is injectable as a liquid at any site of the human body, followed by spontaneous reassembly into a local, biodegradable scaffold. The latter then functions as a delivery depot that is customizable for sustained release of payloads that are specific to the desired application. Importantly, being a platform technology, release kinetics and residence time can be adapted accordingly through rational design of the peptide sequence. Hence, the BioGelator platform can be applied to ultimately enhance the local bioavailability, potency and safety of therapeutics that are otherwise administered intravenously. The BioGelator technology was developed as a collaborative project between UGent (prof. Annemieke Madder & prof. Richard Hoogenboom) and VUB (Prof. Steven Ballet). Supported by ChemTech Life Sciences (An Van Den Bulcke, senior business developer & Pieterjan Merckx, project manager), we are currently establishing a valorization roadmap and actively seeking partnerships for clinical implementation.