Marcelo Calderón
Research Staff
Coordinator
Polímeros para la salud
Polímeros sensibles para la terapéutica
https://polymat.eu/research/polymers-for-health/responsive-polymers-for-therapeutics/
Marcelo Calderón obtained his degree in Chemistry (2003) and Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences (2007) from the National University of Córdoba, Argentina, where he worked on dendritic amphiphilic polymers under the supervision of Prof. Miriam Strumia. In 2007, he joined the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, as a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Rainer Haag, focusing on polymer-drug conjugates for targeted delivery of drugs, genes, and imaging agents. Following his postdoctoral training, he established an independent research career as Junior Group Leader (2010) and Assistant Professor (2013-2018) in the Freie Universität Berlin. In 2019, he joined POLYMAT as an Ikerbasque Research Professor, where he currently leads the Responsive Polymer Therapeutics (RPT) group and the UPV/EHU research group “Functional Three-Dimensional Platforms for Personalized Medicine and Energy Transition”, and coordinates the Research Area “Polymer for Health” at POLYMAT.
His research focuses on the design of stimuli-responsive polymeric materials for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. He has secured more than €10 million in competitive research funding and has authored over 220 scientific publications, book chapters, and reviews, in addition to six patent applications. According to Scopus (06/2026), his work has received more than 7,000 citations and has an H-index of 47.
His achievements have been recognized through several prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Arthur K. Doolittle Award (ACS, 2010), the César Milstein Fellowship (2011), the NanoMatFutur Grant from the German Ministry of Education and Research (2012), an Ikerbasque Research Professorship (2018), and the Manuel Laborde Werlinden Award for Innovative Initiatives (2024).
Engineering biocompatible chitosan hydrogels with polyether-based crosslinkers for biomedical applications.
N. Politakos, C. Busatto, M. Orellano, S. Martin-Colomo, A. Larranaga, D. Estenoz and M. Calderon
Surface functionalization of multilayer nanoparticles with hyaluronic acid or alternative polymers: Effects on cellular uptake and re-epithelialization in a human ex vivo wound model
M. Motta, U. Semenko, U. Goswami, Z. Zhao, F. Rancan, A. Larranaga and M. Calderdon
Unveiling the chemical composition of a microbiota-derived extracellular polymeric substance and its antivirulence potential against Staphylococcus aureus from bovine mastitis
M. de Lillo, M. Orellano, M. Breser, L. Bohl, G. Tiraboschi, M. Calderón, C. Porporatto and P. Isaac
Harnessing Supramolecular J-Aggregates in Deep Eutectic Solvents for Tunable NIR Photothermal and Photodynamic Therapy
Kumar K., Gurol M., Sanjarnia P., Orellano M.S., Beloqui A., Ebo L., Picchio M.L. and Calderón M.
Cetuximab-loaded self-assembled polymeric nanoparticles for the integrin-targeted therapy of glioblastoma
Mishra D., Calderón M., Beloqui A. and Sosnik A.
3D-printed biopolymer matrices for the vehiculization and controlled release of octenidine in wound antibiotic therapy
I. Berti, M. Horue, T. Boztepe, M. Calderon, L. Mengatto, S. Gehring, S. Katz, G. Islan and F. Karp
Multifunctional Protein Eutectogels Based on Polyphenolic: Zwitterionic Low-Transition-Temperature Mixtures
S. Martin-Saldana, A. de Leon, M. de la Mata, N. Politakos, J. Olmedo-Martinez, A.J. Müller, A. Beloqui, M. Calderon and M. Picchio
PRODAN and C120 fluorescent probes to investigate the structure of branched cyclic polyglycerol
C. Pagnacco, F. Barroso-Bujans, M. Calderón and M. Orellano
Polymer-based nanocarriers to transport therapeutic biomacromolecules across the blood-brain barrier
E. Romero-Ben, U. Goswami, J. Soto-Cruz, A. Mansoori-Kermani, D. Mishra, S. Martin-Saldaña, J. Muñoz-Ugartemendia, A. Sosnik, M. Calderón, A. Beloqui and A. Larrañaga
Rheological Insight into the 3D Printability of Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Based Hydrogels
I. Insua, O. Etzold, I. Calafel, R. Aguirresarobe, M. Calderón and M. Fernández
Characterization techniques of hydrogels in healthcare
I. Insua, M. Calderón, I. Calafel, M. Fernandez and R. Aguirresarobe
Polypeptide-based multilayer capsules with anti-inflammatory properties: exploring different strategies to incorporate hydrophobic drugs
M. Motta, S. Martin-Saldaña, A. Beloqui, M. Calderón and A. Larrañaga
The influence of amniotic membrane proteins on corneal regeneration when delivered directly or using hydrogel platforms
A. Basasoro, J. Mendicute, M. Rezola, J. Burgos, M. Fernández, D. Esporrín-Ubieto, A. Sonzogni, M. Calderón, I. Calafel, A. Díaz, J. De Souza, A. Aiastui, M. Azkargorta, F. Elortza, E. Vecino and A. Acera
Antioxidant and Anti-Senescence Polyvinyl Alcohol-Gallic Acid Supramolecular Hydrogels for Stem Cell Culture
Y. Zhou, M. Picchio, Y. Nie, L. Wang, O. Sanz, Y. Liu, X. Xu, L. Prantl, O. Felthaus, W. Wang, M. Calderón and N. Ma
Terpene-Based Eutectic Solvent Microdroplets: A Strategy to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Helicobacter pylori
M. Brzezinski, M. Chmiela, M. Picchio, M. Calderón and W. Gonciarz
Eutectozymes as Soft Hybrid Materials for Advanced Biocatalysis
M. Martínez-Cartagena, L. Suarez, A. Ontoria, F. Benítez, E. Rezabal, M. Orellano, M. Calderón, C. Huck-Iriart, A. Picco, M. Picchio and A. Beloqui
Taming Visible Light-Induced Precipitation Polymerization in Continuous Flow: Developing Thermoresponsive Nanogels for Controlled Antimicrobial Delivery
F. Figueroa, J. Torres, L. Campagno, M. Calderon, F. Alovero, M. Strumia, M. Garcia and G. Oksdath-Mansilla
Elastomeric Protein Bioactive Eutectogels for Topical Drug Delivery
M. Picchio, M. Orellano, M. Motta, C. Huck-Iriart, D. Sánchez-deAlcázar, R. López-Domene, B. Martín-García, A. Larrañaga, A. Beloqui, D. Mecerreyes and M. Calderón
Leveraging novel innovative thermoresponsive polymers in microneedles for targeted intradermal deposition
S. Roussel, J. Udabe, A. Bin Sabri, M. Calderón and R. Donnelly
Bringing innovative wound care polymer materials to the market: Challenges, developments, and new trends
P. Sanjarnia, M. Picchio, A. Polegre Solis, K. Schuhladen, P. Fliss, N. Politakos, L. Metterhausen, M. Calderón and E. Osorio-Blanco
Nanogels: Smart tools to enlarge the therapeutic window of gene therapy
B. Espuche, S. Moya and M. Calderón
Eutectogels as Promising Materials in Biocatalysis
K. Kumar, M. Calderón, A. Beloqui and M. Picchio
Polyglycerol-Functionalized ß-Cyclodextrins as Crosslinkers in Thermoresponsive Nanogels for the Enhanced Dermal Penetration of Hydrophobic Drugs
H. Wang, N. Tiwari, M. Orellano, L. Navarro, Z. Beiranvand, M. Adeli and M. Calderón
Core-Shell Nanogels With Raspberry Architecture and Amine Loading in the Core via Precipitation Polymerization: A Mechanistic Study
B. Espuche, K. Kumar, P. Moretti, M. Ortore, O. Ivashchenko, E. Coy, H. Amenitsch, S. Moya and M. Calderón
Polypeptide-based multilayer nanoarchitectures: Controlled assembly on planar and colloidal substrates for biomedical applications
M. Motta, L. Mulko, E. Marin, A. Larrañaga and M. Calderón
Freezing-Tolerant Supramolecular Adhesives from Tannic Acid-Based Low-Transition-Temperature Mixtures
P. Mercadal, M. Montesinos, M. Macchione, S. Dalosto, K. Bierbrauer, M. Calderón, A. González and M. Picchio
Unveiling the Potential of Surface Polymerized Drug Nanocrystals in Targeted Delivery
J. Udabe, S. Martin-Saldaña, Y. Tao, M. Picchio, A. Beloqui, A. Paredes and M. Calderón
Multiresponsive Nanogels for the Selective Delivery of Antimicrobial Drugs to Mucosal Tissues
J. Udabe, S. Bongiovanni Abel, M. Orellano and M. Calderón
Hybrid Nanogel-Wrapped Anisotropic Gold Nanoparticles Feature Enhanced Photothermal Stability
D. Esporrín-Ubieto, C. Huck-Iriart, A. Picco, A. Beloqui and M. Calderón
Modulating the Mucosal Drug Delivery Efficiency of Polymeric Nanogels Tuning their Redox Response and Surface Charge
J. Udabe, A. Muñoz-Juan, B. Tafech, M. Orellano, S. Hedtrich, A. Laromaine and M. Calderón
Eutectogels: The Multifaceted Soft Ionic Materials of Tomorrow
P. Mercadal, A. González, A. Beloqui, L. Tomé, D. Mecerreyes, M. Calderón and M. Picchio
On the Progress of 3D Printed Hydrogels Through Fourier Transform Rheology
M. Fernandez, I. Insua, O. Etzold, M. Calderon, R. Aguirresarobe and I. Calafel
Next generation concepts in dermal delivery, theranostics, and preclinical testing
S. Hedtrich and M. Calderón
Polymer Colloids: Current Challenges, Emerging Applications, and New Developments
M. Aguirre, N. Ballard, E. Gonzalez, S. Hamzehlou, H. Sardon, M. Calderon, M. Paulis, R. Tomovska, D. Dupin, R. Bean, T. Long, J.R. Leiza and J. Asua
Structural control and functionalization of thermoresponsive nanogels: turning cross-linking points into anchoring groups
A. Wolfel, H. Wang, E. Osorio-Blanco, J. Bergueiro, M. Romero, C. Alvarez Igarzabal and M. Calderón
The role of Eudragit® as a component of hydrogel formulations for medical devices
D. Esporrín-Ubieto, A. Sonzogni, M. Fernández, A. Acera, E. Matxinandiarena, J. Cadavid-Vargas, I. Calafel, R. Schmarsow, A.J. Müller, A. Larrañaga and M. Calderón
Weaving the next generation of (bio)materials: Semi-interpenetrated and interpenetrated polymeric networks for biomedical applications
Bongiovanni Abel S., Busatto C.A., Karp F., Estenoz D. and Calderón M.
Multi-hierarchical nanoparticles with tunable core by emulsion polymerization processes
J. Udabe, N. Tiwari, A. Picco, C. Huck-Iriart, C. Escudero and M. Calderón
Nano-in-nano enteric protein delivery system: coaxial Eudragit® L100-55 fibers containing poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) nanogels
A. Sonzogni, G. Rivero, V. Gonzalez, G. Abraham, M. Calderón and R. Minari
Synthesis and anisotropic growth of glycerol-based thermoresponsive NIR plasmonic nanogels
E. Glitscher, J. Bergueiro and M. Calderon
Nanocarriers for Skin Applications: Where Do We Stand?
N. Tiwari, E. Osorio-Blanco, A. Sonzogni, D. Esporrín-Ubieto, H. Wang and M. Calderón
Recent advances and future perspectives of porous materials for biomedical applications
M. Orellano, O. Sanz, S. Camarero-Espinosa, A. Beloqui and M. Calderon
One stone, many birds: Recent advances in functional nanogels for cancer nanotheranostics
H. Wang, M. Picchio and M. Calderón
A hybrid thermoresponsive plasmonic nanogel designed for NIR-mediated chemotherapy
J. Bergueiro, E. Glitscher and M. Calderón
Bioadhesive eutectogels supporting drug nanocrystals for long-acting delivery to mucosal tissues
M. Bianchi, C. Zhang, E. Catlin, G. Sandri, M. Calderón, E. Larrañeta, R. Donnelly, M. Picchio and A. Paredes
Effect of conducting/thermoresponsive polymer ratio on multitasking nanogels
A. Puiggali-Jou, S. Wedepohl, L. Theune, C. Aleman and M. Calderon
Crosslinked casein micelles bound paclitaxel as enzyme activated intracellular drug delivery systems for cancer therapy
J. Cuggino, M. Picchio, A. Gugliotta, M. Bürgi, L. Ronco, M. Calderón, M. Etcheverrigaray, C. Alvarez Igarzabal, R. Minari and L. Gugliotta
Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Biological Activities of Pyrimidine-Based Cationic Amphiphiles
A. Singh, S. Malhotra, D. Bimal, L. Bouchet, S. Wedepohl, M. Calderón and A. Prasad
Polyglutamic acid-based crosslinked doxorubicin nanogels as an anti-metastatic treatment for triple negative breast cancer
A. Duro-Castano, A. Sousa-Herves, A. Armiñán, D. Charbonnier, J. Arroyo-Crespo, S. Wedepohl, M. Calderón and M. Vicent
Design and Testing of Efficient Mucus-Penetrating Nanogels—Pitfalls of Preclinical Testing and Lessons Learned
R. Charbaji, M. Kar, L. Theune, J. Bergueiro, A. Eichhorst, L. Navarro, P. Graff, F. Stumpff, M. Calderón and S. Hedtrich
Chemo-specific designs for the enumeration of circulating tumor cells: advances in liquid biopsy
B. Singh, S. Arora, A. D’Souza, N. Kale, G. Aland, A. Bharde, M. Quadir, M. Calderón, P. Chaturvedi and J. Khandare
Smart Layer-by-Layer Polymeric Microreactors: PH-Triggered Drug Release and Attenuation of Cellular Oxidative Stress as Prospective Combination Therapy
E. Marin, N. Tiwari, M. Calderón, J.R. Sarasua and A. Larrañaga
Exploiting cyanine dye J-aggregates/monomer equilibrium in hydrophobic protein pockets for efficient multi-step phototherapy: an innovative concept for smart nanotheranostics
M. Picchio, J. Bergueiro, S. Wedepohl, R. Minari, C. Alvarez Igarzabal, L. Gugliotta, J. Cuggino and M. Calderon
A Dual Fluorescence–Spin Label Probe for Visualization and Quantification of Target Molecules in Tissue by Multiplexed FLIM–EPR Spectroscopy
P. Dong, J. Stellmacher, L. Bouchet, M. Nieke, A. Kumar, E. Osorio-Blanco, G. Nagel, S. Lohan, C. Teutloff, A. Patzelt, M. Schäfer-Korting, M. Calderón, M. Meinke and U. Alexiev
The Delivery Challenge of Genome Editing in Human Epithelia
M. Calderon and S. Hedtrich
Editorial: Nanomedicine in Cancer Targeting and Therapy
J. Longo, L. Muehlmann, M. Calderón, C. Stockmann and R. Azevedo
Revealing the NIR-triggered chemotherapy therapeutic window of magnetic and thermoresponsive nanogels
C. Biglione, J. Bergueiro, S. Wedepohl, B. Klemke, M. Strumia and M. Calderon
Polyglycerol-Based Thermoresponsive Nanocapsules Induce Skin Hydration and Serve as a Skin Penetration Enhancer
E. Osorio-Blanco, F. Rancan, A. Klossek, J. Nissen, L. Hoffmann, J. Bergueiro, S. Riedel, A. Vogt, E. Ruehl and M. Calderon
Thermally self-assembled biodegradable poly(casein-g-N-isopropylacrylamide) unimers and their application in drug delivery for cancer therapy
J. Cuggino, F. Ambrosioni, M. Picchio, M. Nicola, A. Jimenez Kairuz, G. Gatti, R. Minari, M. Calderon, C. Alvarez Igarzabal and L. Gugliotta
pH-Activatable Singlet Oxygen-Generating Boron-dipyrromethenes (BODIPYs) for Photodynamic Therapy and Bioimaging.
S. Radunz, S. Wedepohl, M. Rohr, M. Calderon, H. Tschiche and U. Resch-Genger
Effect of crosslinking density on thermoresponsive nanogels: A study on the size control and the kinetics release of biomacromolecules
L. Navarro, L. Theune and M. Calderon
Effect of Core Nanostructure on the Thermomechanical Properties of Soft Nanoparticles
E. Osorio-Blanco, J. Bergueiro, B. Abali, S. Ehrmann, C. Bottcher, A.J. Müller, J. Cuellar-Camacho and M. Calderon
Matrix Metalloproteinase-sensitive Multistage Nanogels Promote Drug Transport in 3D Tumor Model
G. Nagel, A. Sousa-Herves, S. Wedepohl and M. Calderon
Protein corona formation and its influence on biomimetic magnetite nanoparticles
A. Peigneux, E. Glitscher, R. Charbaji, C. Weise, S. Wedepohl, M. Calderón, C. Jimenez-Lopez and S. Hedtrich
Controlled release of therapeutics from thermoresponsive nanogels: A thermal magnetic resonance feasibility study
Y. Ji, L. Winter, L. Navarro, M. Ku, J. Periquito, M. Pham, W. Hoffmann, L. Theune, M. Calderón and T. Niendorf
The influence of shape and charge on protein corona composition in common gold nanostructures
T. Bewersdorff, E. Glitscher, J. Bergueiro, M. Eravci, E. Miceli, A. Haase and M. Calderón
Mannose-decorated dendritic polyglycerol nanocarriers drive antiparasitic drugs to leishmania infantum-infected macrophages
L. Vossen, B. Domínguez-Asenjo, C. Gutiérrez-Corbo, M. Pérez-Pertejo, R. Balaña-Fouce, R. Reguera and M. Calderón
Galvanic Replacement as a Synthetic Tool for the Construction of Anisotropic Magnetoplasmonic Nanocomposites with Synergistic Phototransducing and Magnetic Properties
C. Biglione, E. Glitscher, S. Arora, B. Klemke, M. Giulbudagian, P. Laux, A. Luch, J. Bergueiro and M. Calderón
Environmental Liquid Cell Technique for Improved Electron Microscopic Imaging of Soft Matter in Solution
S. Azim, L. Bultema, M. De Kock, E. Osorio-Blanco, M. Calderón, J. Gonschior, J. Leimkohl, F. Tellkamp, R. Bücker, E. Schulz, S. Keskin, N. De Jonge, G. Kassier and R. Miller
Stereocomplexed PLA microspheres: Control over morphology, drug encapsulation and anticancer activity
M. Brzezinski, B. Kost, S. Wedepohl, M. Socka, T. Biela and M. Calderon
Can dermal delivery of therapeutics be improved using thermoresponsive nanogels?
N. Tiwari, A. Sonzogni and M. Calderon
NIR- and thermo-responsive semi-interpenetrated polypyrrole nanogels for imaging guided combinational photothermal and chemotherapy.
L. Theune, J. Buchmann, S. Wedepohl, M. Molina, J. Laufer and M. Calderon
Crossing biological barriers with nanogels to improve drug delivery performance
J. Cesar Cuggino, E. Osorio Blanco, L. Marcelino Gugliotta, C. Alvarez Igarzabal and M. Calderon
Dermal Delivery of the High-Molecular-Weight Drug Tacrolimus by Means of Polyglycerol-Based Nanogels
F. Rancan, H. Volkmann, M. Giulbudagian, F. Schumacher, J. Stanko, B. Kleuser, U. Blume-Peytavi, M. Calderon and A. Vogt
The influence of the shape of Au nanoparticles on the catalytic current of fructose dehydrogenase.
P. Bollella, Y. Hibino, P. Conejo-Valverde, J. Soto-Cruz, J. Bergueiro, M. Calderon, O. Rojas-Carrillo, K. Kano and L. Gorton
Critical parameters for the controlled synthesis of nanogels suitable for temperature-triggered protein delivery
L. Theune, R. Charbaji, M. Kar, S. Wedepohl, S. Hedtrich and M. Calderon
Influence of Alkyl Chains of Modified Polysuccinimide-Based Polycationic Polymers on Polyplex Formation and Transfection
M. Kravicz, D. Balogh, M. Kar, S. Wedepohl, M. Bentley and M. Calderon
