Our Lead Formulation Expert, Balázs Attila Kondoros, will be attending the upcoming Drug Delivery & Formulation (DDF) Summit in Berlin, where he’ll be diving into the latest innovations in drug delivery technologies.
At CarboHyde, we are particularly interested in exploring how emerging challenges in formulation and delivery could be addressed using cyclodextrins — unlocking new possibilities for solubility, stability, and bioavailability.
Balazs is looking forward to connecting with fellow experts, exchanging ideas, and identifying collaboration opportunities.
Do you want to learn more about Carbo and cyclodextrins?
Who else will be attending? Let’s connect in Berlin!
Here, we made a photoresponsive β-cyclodextrin branched polymer, where excitation of the Poly-βCD1 with visible blue light results in the generation of nitric oxide.
The negligible cytotoxic action of DOX, used well below the therapeutic doses, alone or in combination with the polymer in the dark, is enhanced in both cell lines under light irradiation exclusively when the drug is combined with Poly-βCD1 as a result of the combined action of NO.
Training Europe’s Next Generation in Glyconanomaterials
CanGoNano is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) bringing together universities, research institutes, and industry partners across Europe to explore a fast-emerging field: glyconanomaterials (GNMs).
The mission is straightforward but ambitious—design nanoscale systems built from carbohydrates that can interact with the immune system in highly specific ways. These systems could reshape how we approach cancer immunotherapy, vaccines, and targeted drug delivery.
Rather than focusing on a single discipline, CanGoNano sits at the crossroads of:
Chemistry and materials science
Nanotechnology
Glycobiology
Immunology
This interdisciplinary approach is also reflected in the structure of the programme: multiple doctoral candidates (DCs) working on complementary projects across Europe, each contributing a piece to the bigger picture.
What Are Glyconanomaterials?
Glyconanomaterials are nanostructures that incorporate carbohydrates (sugars) to mimic or influence biological processes. Because sugars play a key role in how cells communicate—especially in immune recognition—they are powerful tools for designing smarter therapeutics.
Applications being explored in CanGoNano include:
Targeted delivery of antigens and mRNA
Immune system modulation
Nanocarriers for precision medicine
Next-generation vaccine platforms
Doctoral Positions Across Europe
The CanGoNano network offers multiple PhD positions (Doctoral Candidates, DCs) hosted by leading institutions and companies. Each position focuses on a specific scientific angle while contributing to the shared goal of advancing glyconanomaterials.
Here is a high-level overview of the positions and their locations:
Among the positions, DC-4 in Budapest highlights an important class of carbohydrate-based materials: cyclodextrins.
Hosted by CarboHyde, this project explores how cyclodextrins—ring-shaped sugar molecules—can be engineered into nanocarriers.
Their unique structure allows them to:
Encapsulate therapeutic molecules
Form supramolecular assemblies
Be chemically modified for targeting
In the context of CanGoNano, they are being developed into delivery platforms for biologics, including nucleic acids and immune-active compounds.
Training Beyond the Lab
A defining feature of CanGoNano is its training philosophy. Doctoral candidates are not only conducting research—they are part of a structured programme that includes:
International secondments across partner institutions
Exposure to both academic and industrial environments
Training in entrepreneurship, communication, and innovation
Collaboration within a tightly connected European network
This ensures graduates are prepared for careers in biotech, pharma, and advanced materials research.
Looking Forward
CanGoNano reflects a broader shift in science: moving from isolated discoveries toward integrated, application-driven research ecosystems.
By combining:
cutting-edge nanotechnology
the biological specificity of carbohydrates
and strong academic–industry collaboration
the project aims to unlock new strategies for treating complex diseases.
And just as importantly, it is building a cohort of researchers equipped to carry those innovations forward.
Here, we made a photoresponsive β-cyclodextrin branched polymer, where excitation of the Poly-βCD1 with visible blue light results in the generation of nitric oxide.
The negligible cytotoxic action of DOX, used well below the therapeutic doses, alone or in combination with the polymer in the dark, is enhanced in both cell lines under light irradiation exclusively when the drug is combined with Poly-βCD1 as a result of the combined action of NO.
Using CDs for wound healing has been in the spotlight for a long time, many applications and promising prototypes were developed, yet none reached the market.
This may change with the innovation of Jun Li at National University of Singapore who made a smart multifunctional ROS-responsive supramolecular hydrogel.
The polymer is dynamically crosslinked by inclusion complexes of β-cyclodextrin (βCD) and ferrocene (Fc).
This hydrogel facilitates the on-demand release of interleukin-4 (IL-4) while exhibiting intrinsic antibacterial properties.
The system subsequently reprograms macrophages from the proinflammatory M1 phenotype to the anti‒inflammatory M2 phenotype, thereby addressing immune dysregulation in diabetic wounds.
The composition significantly enhanced wound closure, collagen density, and angiogenesis while reducing proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) and increasing anti‒inflammatory cytokine IL-10 levels.
Our COO and Nutraceutical Innovation Head, Tamás Vargadi, will be attending the upcoming Vitafoods in Barcelona, where he’ll be diving into the latest innovations in food supplements.
At CarboHyde, we are particularly interested in exploring how emerging challenges in delivery could be addressed using cyclodextrins — unlocking new possibilities for improved solubility, stability, and bioavailability.
Tamas is looking forward to connecting with fellow experts, exchanging ideas, and identifying collaboration opportunities.
Do you want to learn more about Carbo and cyclodextrins?
Who else will be attending? Let’s connect in Barcelona!
Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor, with a median survival of only 12–15 months.
Alternative therapeutic strategies—such as targeting the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathway with MEK inhibitors like trametinib and selumetinib—are being explored.
However, their clinical success is currently hindered by inadequate delivery across the blood–brain barrier and dose-limiting toxicity.
In this work, Noemi Bognanni, Graziella Vecchio and colleagues investigate two cationic CyD polymers as potential nanocarriers for GB therapy based on trametinib and selumetinib.
Their multivalent architecture and positive charge can facilitate both the encapsulation of drugs and membrane interactions.
Now our global player in Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC), RotaChrom Technologies published about Scalable enantioseparation of rac-voriconazole.
Features? – Batch CPC sets the baseline, intensified to cyclic continuous stacked-injection CPC. – MDM CPC mode enables continuous injection and dual-outlet product collection. – MDM CPC intensification delivers an overall ≈25× productivity gain vs resolution. – Continuous CPC reduces solvent and selector use via repeated phase recycling.
And the best part? The cyclodextrin, of course. To improve process economics, sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) was replaced with lower-cost randomly methylated β-cyclodextrin (RM-β-CD) without compromising the partitioning and selectivity required for MDM operation.
Continuous MDM CPC afforded (2R,3S)-voriconazole at ≥99.8% optical purity and 99.9% enantiomeric excess (ee), with 81% isolated yield
In this patent (WO 2026/018002 A1) from Genomic Labs the inventors describe obtaining DNA of a bacterial or fungal pathogen from a mammalian blood sample via a series of purification steps.
During the purification process, cyclodextrins are also used to improve the efficiency of microbial lysis and nucleic acid extraction in addition to it providing microbial nucleic acid amplification efficiency.
