About Our Lab
Our lab is working on the edge of fields, Material Science and Biopolymers with Biology and Biochemistry. ​Our agenda is to introduce advanced materials chemistry and nanotechnology approaches in the fields of food, biomedicine, and agriculture. Our main expertise is polysaccharides and saccharide-bearing materials (glycosides). The research in our lab is built on a deep understanding of the fundamentals of biopolymer chemistry and biology that allows mechanistic insights and design of advanced materials toward far-reaching scientific and applicative prospects.

The major research directions in our lab are as follows:
(1) Fundamental research on glycochemistry and glycobiology aiming to understand and mimic processes that occur in natural systems  
(2) Rational modifications of biopolymers and glycosides to design bioactive gels,  films, and coatings for use in food, medicine, and agriculture. 
(3) Waste to worth, use of agri-byproducts to form new materials that can be used as greener alternatives to pesticides, antibiotics, plastic, etc.
(4) Development of advanced delivery systems with unique structural adaptation allowing to bring active payload across biological barriers, such as plant epidermis, human skin and cell membrane. Such capacities offer numerous applications, among them transdermal drug delivery, foliar plant treatment, "in-cell" editing without integration into a host genome, tissue engineering, and development of new medicines.

Our methods are developed with safety in mind and adhere to eco-friendly biocompatible materials and green chemistry protocols. We strive to implement our discoveries and maintain tight contact with farmers and industry to be updated about actual problems in the field. We have several initiatives with commercial companies on drug delivery,  plant nutrition, plant protection, promotion of phytonutrient production in crops, postharvest treatment, and valorization of agrifood waste.