The research group "Natural Products & Food – Research and Analysis – Pharmaceutical Technology" (NatuRAPT) comprises the laboratories of Pharmacognosy, Functional Food Science, Pharmaceutical Analysis and Pharmaceutical Technology & Biopharmacy. During the past years, several PhD theses were defended and many new researchers started recently in a predoc position.
Several research projects in the area of natural products and food are currently ongoing. In the area of Functional Food Science, research topics include antioxidant activities of natural compounds, development of an in vitro gastro-intestinal simulation model including a colonic phase, and the effect of polyphenolic compounds in ADHD therapy. In the group of Pharmacognosy, the characterization of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants using spectroscopic methods is the main focus. The research topics in the lab of Pharmaceutical Analysis comprise amongst others drug impurities, development of analytical methods for food supplements and discovering biomolecules in agroindustrial waste. Key topics for the laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy include the development of lipid and polymeric nanoparticles, as well as the spray drying of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus for application in upper and lower respiratory tract.
For more details you can refer to the individual abstracts.