Maylin Romero

CV

Maylin earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, graduating magna cum laude, from Yachay Tech University (Ecuador) in 2021 and completed her MSc in Chemistry at Ghent University, also graduating magna cum laude in 2024. Her master’s dissertation was conducted within the OBCR group under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Annemieke Madder. The research focused on investigating the structure-activity relationship of tolaasin, a cyclic lipodepsipeptide (CLiP) with promising anticancer activity.

Currently, Maylin is a doctoral researcher in the OBCR group and she is dedicated to addressing key challenges associated with CLiPs, particularly their limited solubility and non-selectivity for specific target cells.

Research Project

A Peptide Delivery System to Harness the Anticancer Potential of Cyclic Lipopeptides

Cyclic lipopeptides, or CLiPs, are amphipathic compounds with versatile bioactivity against microbial pathogens and cancer cell lines. They represent a promising new class of bioactive compounds characterized by a unique membrane-targeting mode of action. This makes them particularly well-suited for anticancer applications, offering potential solutions to combat resistance to current chemotherapeutic agents in human health.

In this multidisciplinary doctoral project, the goal is to unlock the therapeutic potential of CLiPs as anticancer agents. This is achieved by developing nanoscale delivery systems, named DeliCLiPs, to selectively transport CLiPs to cancer cell membranes. Through this innovative approach, the efficacy of CLiPs in targeting and treating cancer cells will be enhanced, thereby advancing their application in therapeutic use.