Exclusive Interview with Dr. Inge Zuhorn-Insights into Extracellular Vesicles in Drug Delivery

On December 15, 2023, the Editorial Office of Extracellular Vesicles and Circulating Nucleic Acids (EVCNA) conducted an exclusive interview with Dr. Inge Zuhorn to discuss her research focus and perspectives on the application of Extracellular Vesicles in Drug Delivery.

Dr. Inge Zuhorn, a professor at the Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology (BBT), also serves as the educational director of the Molecular Medicine and Innovative Treatment (MMIT) MSc Programme of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, Netherlands.

During the interview, Dr. Inge Zuhorn shared her research journey, ongoing projects, and thoughts on the impact of EV heterogeneity on therapeutic applications. In addition, she outlined her future research plans and goals and offered several helpful suggestions for female researchers embarking on their careers in this field.

Here's what went down:

Q1: We have noticed that your research mainly focuses on targeted drug delivery with nanomedicine. Could you please share with us what kind of moment you began to pay attention to Extracellular Vesicles and bring them into your research?

Q2: Could you please provide a detailed introduction to your current main work and projects?

Q3: EVs display a natural homing/targeting capacity together with the potential to deliver cargo molecules into cells, thereby providing a unique platform for the delivery of therapeutic agents to even challenging-to-reach organs like the brain. However, the composition of EVs is heterogeneous, which can impact their overall functionality as well as trigger undesired side effects. For this challenge, what do you think will be the focus of future research to address this issue?

Q4: What are your research goals for the next five years?

Q5: As we all know, the number of female scientists is far smaller than that of male scientists, and the challenges faced by female researchers throughout their research careers are far greater than those of male scientists. As one of the excellent women scientists, what advice or experience do you want to share with those women who are just entering the scientific research field?

Editor: Sally
Language Editor: Catherine Yang
Production Editor: Yan Zhang
Respectfully submitted by the Editorial Office of Extracellular Vesicles and Circulating Nucleic Acids