Education

Ph.D. (Dr. rer. nat), Pharmacognosy and Analytical Photochemistry, University of Saarland (2002)

Research Areas and Projects

My main research focus is the development of plant produced proteins for the treatment of human diseases. Our current projects involve safety, pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic evaluation of antivirals targeting HIV-1 and other enveloped viruses, including HSV-2. Notably, we are assessing the safety and efficacy of the potent antiviral lectin Griffithsin (GRFT) in the context of colorectal pathologies (e.g. ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer). In addition, we are interested in plant derived lectins as anticancer agents. Such lectins will be produced in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Finally, we plan in the near future to assess natural products from various African plants for their therapeutic activities.