Contact

Kaat De Clerck
Laboratory for General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy
Ghent University
Ottergemsesteenweg 110
9000 Gent
Belgium
Tel: 0032 9 264 8047 (secretary)
Tel: 0032 9 264 8365 (direct)
E-mail: kaat.declerck@ugent.be

Biography

Kaat De Clerck started a Bachelor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Ghent University in 2015. Subsequently, she obtained her Master Degree in Drug Development in 2020 with great distinction. She performed her master thesis at the Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy (Ghent University) with as subject light-based perforation of the inner limiting membrane with the aim of enhancing retinal drug delivery. In October 2020, she rejoined the lab to start her PhD project which further explores the same research topic under supervision of Prof. Dr. Katrien Remaut and Dr. Karen Peynshaert.

Research interests

Ophthalmology, retinal drug delivery, ocular drug delivery barriers, nanotechnology, photoporation

Summary of Research Project(s)

Today, vision impairment is still a common disorder which has a tremendous impact on the patient’s quality of life. A large fraction of the pathologies underlying vision impairment find their origin at the level of the retina. In order to target the retina, intravitreal injection is an interesting route of administration due to its low-invasive and easy-to-perform character.  Although this technique is successfully applied in clinical practice for antibodies, the retinal entry of larger therapeutics, including viral and non-viral vectors for gene therapy, is still hampered by the presence of biological barriers. The inner limiting membrane (ILM) represents a major bottleneck as it forms a physical obstacle in front of the retina. To overcome this barrier, we intend to perforate the ILM in a safe manner by photoporation with as ultimate goal the enhanced entry of drugs into the retina.