I am Yujun Zeng from Guangzhou, China. I studied Cancer Biology and Therapeutics at Cardiff University in United Kingdom and during my studies I gained solid experimental skills and research methods. I also have 2 years’ research experience in pharmaceutical companies, which I gained commercial novel drug development experience.

After the university, I took classes about academic knowledges in pharmaceutical sciences and had lab skills training in both chemistry and biology.

During my years of postgraduate period, I have actively participated in Dr. Kathryn Taylor’s Breast Cancer Molecular Pharmacology group in Zinc transporters inhibitors research.

My recent focus is developing glycopeptide-based micelles and hydrogels that mimic neural ECM components like mimetics of hyaluronan, collagens, and alginate. These biomaterials will be designed to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and release therapeutic proteins.

In the MSCA DN “SECRET “project I will be a PhD student (DC10) at I3B labs from The University of Minho My research will focus on using nanoparticles as a starting point, I will enhance their properties for targeting damaged tissue and releasing secretome formulations. These systems will be validated in vitro and in vivo using models of Ischemic stroke (IS) and multiple sclerosis (MS).

The majority of my work will be performed in I3B lab in The University of Minho, also I have cooperation with other DCs from SECRET projects.  Additionally, my responsibilities entail peptide synthesis, purification and validation the efficiency in vivo and invitro.

As a result of my work, I will put my effort on the novel drug discovery in CNS diseases.

Being a part of this “Development of biomaterial-based vehicles for the delivery of secretome fractions to the CNS regions affected by multiple sclerosis and ischemic stroke “project offers me a new aspect of horizon in biomaterials  research and opportunity to work with extraordinary scholars.