Del Borgo Lab research
Collaborations | Student research projects | Publications
About Dr Mark Del Borgo
Dr Mark Del Borgo received his PhD in pharmacology in 2005 from the University of Melbourne and immediately became a research fellow in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Queensland (2005-2007). He then took up a teaching position in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Kansas (2007-2008). From 2009, He has been a research fellow within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Monash University. He was the first person to demonstrate that peptides derived from β-amino acids are able to self-assemble into a wide range of fibrous materials (published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.). These materials form a platform technology with many applications in regenerative medicine, bioengineering and drug delivery. In late 2019, Dr Del Borgo was appointed as Senior Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology where he now runs the Nanopharmacology Lab.
Our research
Current projects
Within the Nanopharmacology Group, we use synthetic and peptide chemistry, pharmacology and materials science to deliver tailored materials that can be used in clinical settings. We have a number of projects available that cross many disciplines that focus on 3 main areas;
- Decorated nanoparticles for use in drug delivery & vaccine development
- Peptide-based drug development
- Development of novel labels to track receptors
Visit Dr Del Borgo’s Supervisor Connect for a full list of current projects available for students.
Visit Dr Del Borgo’s Monash research profile to see a full listing of current projects.
Research activities
We are a multi-disciplinary lab that are involved in a number of activities. A few examples are: STED imaging of our fluorescently labelled hydrogels (Figure 1), SEM analysis of our hydrogels encapsulated with stem cells (Figure 2) and our recent front cover of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces highlighting our enzyme-responsive drug release from an injectable biomaterial (Figure 3).
Figure 1: STED imaging of a fluorescent hydrogel
Figure 2: An SEM image of a hydrogel encapsulated with MSC’s
Figure 3: Front cover of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces featuring our work
Techniques/expertise
- Cell culture
- Organic and peptide chemistry
- Analytical chemistry
- Cell extrusion
- AFM
- TEM/SEM
- DLS
- In vitro and in vivo pharmacology
- Fluorescence microscopy
Disease models
Our collaborations enable us to introduce our students to a number of disease models including:
- Ischemic stroke
- Heart failure
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Melanoma
Collaborations
We collaborate with many scientists and research organisations around the world. Some of our more significant national and international collaborators are listed below. Click on the map to see the details for each of these collaborators (dive into specific publications and outputs by clicking on the dots).
Professor Rob Widdop
Professor Sharon Ricardo
Dr Brad Broughton
Prof Mark Shackleton
Prof Michelle McIntosh
Student research projects
The Del Borgo Lab offers a variety of Honours, Masters and PhD projects for students interested in joining our group. There are also a number of short term research opportunities available.
Please visit Supervisor Connect to explore the projects currently available in our Lab.
