INS4-0483
Surface-Engineered Vesicles for Cell-Selective Delivery in Skin Care and Therapy
Topic
S4. Colloids, Interfaces, and Molecular Assemblies for Functional Soft Materials
When and Where
Sep 29, 2026
11:15 - 11:40
Room 106
Session Chairs
Chan-Jin KIM
Presenter(s)
Jin Woong Kim (Sungkyunkwan University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Selective delivery of bioactive agents to specific cell populations within the skin remains a central challenge in dermal care research. This talk describes our ongoing efforts to address this challenge through the rational engineering of vesicle-based carriers, with a focus on surface functionalization strategies that confer cell-type selectivity. By conjugating receptor-binding peptides onto vesicular membranes, we have developed delivery platforms capable of distinguishing target cells from surrounding populations based on differential receptor expression. A recurring theme across our work is the ability to exploit biologically meaningful surface cues, including stress-induced receptor upregulation, as targeting signals, rather than relying solely on passive accumulation. The vesicle scaffolds explored span synthetic lipid assemblies to biogenic membrane-derived systems, broadening the compositional diversity available for formulation design. Collectively, our findings suggest that coupling molecular recognition with appropriate vesicle architecture offers a rational and adaptable framework for improving delivery selectivity in skin-relevant biological contexts.
