Kasia Zduńczyk
Research
Needle-based injections have been the primary method for delivering drugs that cannot be administered orally. Nevertheless, these injections present several limitations, including needle phobia, pain during injection and infusion, reuse of needles (predominantly in developing countries), accidental needlestick injuries, and sharps waste. As globally around 16 billion injections are given each year, developing safer and more comfortable alternatives to parenteral injections could substantially improve patient care worldwide.
My reseach focuses on optimizing and understanding the mechanisms of needle-free jet injectors as innovate tools for minimally invasive drug delivery. These devices use high-velocity, pressure-driven liquid jets to penetrate the skin barrier and are able to deliver biomarcomolecules without the need for needles. By investigating the biological and biophysical interactions between jet dynamics and skin tissue, my work aims to optimize drug delivery performance in terms of efficiency, reproducibility, and patient tolerability.
Through a combination of in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo human studies, I examine how jet parameters, fluid properties, and tissue characteristics influence drug deposition, distribution, and therapeutic outcomes. Additionally, I am exploring novel applications of jet injectors, including their potential for use in human challange models and for administering nanoparticle-based (immuno-)therapeutics, including vaccines.
Ultimately, my research seeks to bridge the gap between fundamental mechanistic insights and clinical translation, in next-generation needle-free drug delivery systems.
CURRICULUM VITAE
I hold a Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology Engineering from Warsaw University of Technology in Poland. Motivated by a growing interest in drug development and translational research, I moved to the Netherlands to pursue a Master's in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences at Leiden University. During my studies, I completed a research internship at the Department of Toxicology, focusing on GPCRs in aggressive breast cancer. I then completed a clinical internship at the Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR), specializing in atopic dermatitis. There, I created a model to analyze data from non-invasive assessment techniques, allowing for the evaluation of skin inflammation biomarkers and disease progression in patients. After graduating, I gained industry experience as a Clinical Trail Assistant (CTA) and Clinical Research Associate (CRA) Trainee at CATO-SMS (now known as Allucent), supporting multicenter oncology trials. In 2021, I joined the BioTherapeutics department at Leiden Academic Center for Drug Research (LACDR) as a PhD candidate, where my research focuses on needle-free assisted drug delivery under the supervision of Prof. Robert Rissmann and Dr. Koen van der Maaden.
