Skip to main content

Invitation to the lecture of Professor Pieter Cullis: “Lipid nanoparticle delivery systems: from concept to clinical applications”

On the occasion of Dies Natalis on Friday 24 March 2023, Ghent University will award the title of doctor honoris causa to Professor Pieter Cullis (University of British Columbia). More info on the Dies Natalis program and the honorary doctorates can be found on Dies Natalis 2023 — Universiteit Gent (ugent.be).

On behalf of the faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, it is our pleasure to invite you to the lecture Professor Cullis will deliver on Thursday 23 March 2023. You are hereby also invited to the reception in the Faculty Board Room afterwards. Please confirm your attendance for the lecture and/or the drink, before Friday 10 March: https://forms.office.com/e/S6D5rE11tc

Information on the lecture:

“Lipid nanoparticle delivery systems: from concept to clinical applications”

When? Thursday 23 March 2023, 16.30 pm
Where? Auditorium A Claudius Galenus @ Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Campus Heymans, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Gent

Prof. Pieter Cullis (°1946) is a Canadian physicist and biochemist internationally known and recognised for his major contributions to the field of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). His pioneering work on LNPs to encapsulate drugs and nucleic acids originates from the 1980s, when Prof. Cullis set up his own laboratory at the University of British Columbia. Prof. Cullis worked on the development of Patisiran, the first small interfering RNA (siRNA)-based drug that came on the market in 2018 (under the name Onpattro®). He furthermore co-founded several companies to develop and commercialise the LNP technology, including Acuitas Therapeutics and Precision NanoSystems. Prof. Cullis has an impressive track record with over 350 publications, 30 patents and 20 national and international awards. His revolutionary work has been essential to enable the success of the current Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, exemplified by no less than 10 awards in 2022, received on his contribution to this booming field. His work is performed with great vision, enthusiasm and leadership, and is a source of inspiration for young scientists across the globe.