Personal profile
Biography
Kostas read Chemistry at the University of Leeds and obtained his Diploma in Chemical Engineering and PhD from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, studying the steric stabilization of liposomes using block copolymer molecules. He carried out his postdoctoral training in various medical institutions in the United States and has worked closely with Professors Th.F. Tadros (ICI plc, UK), P.F. Luckham (Imperial College London), D. Papahadjopoulos (UCSF, USA), G. Sgouros (Memorial Sloan-Kettering, NY, USA) and R.G. Crystal (Weill Medical College of Cornell University, NY, USA). Following his promotion to Assistant Professor of Genetic Medicine and Chemical Engineering in Medicine at Cornell University Weill Medical College, he relocated to the UK as the Deputy Director of Imperial College Genetic Therapies Centre in 2002. In 2003 Kostas joined the Centre for Drug Delivery Research and the Department of Pharmaceutics at the UCL School of Pharmacy as the Deputy Head of the Centre. He was promoted to the Personal Chair of Nanomedicine and Head of the Centre in 2007.
Kostas joined the University of Manchester in 2013 and is an Honorary Professor of University College London.
Overview
Kostas is Professor and Chair of Nanomedicine at the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences of the University of Manchester. He is leading the Nanomedicine Lab that is part of the Centre for Tissue Injury and Repair and the National Graphene Institute. Research at the Nanomedicine Lab has a long history in developing liposomes, colloidal nanoparticulates (polymeric microspheres, solid nanoparticles), natural (e.g. peptide) and synthetic macromolecules (e.g. dendrimers) and novel nanomaterials (e.g. nanocarbons) as vector systems for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. A variety of biologically active entities (peptides, proteins, plasmid DNA, siRNA, stem cells) and more conventional small molecules to achieve anti-angiogenic or cytotoxic activities have been developed along with imaging probes (radionuclides, NIR, opoacoustic) to design multi-functional (theranostic) modalities. The primary therapeutic targets for clinical translation of these technologies are cancer (solid and metastatic) and neurodegenerative disorders.
For more information on the Nanomedicine Lab please refer to our website www.nanomedicinelab.com
Research interests
For information on our research activities and collaboratios please refer to www.nanomedicinelab.com
My collaborations
For information on our research partners please refer to http://www.nanomedicinelab.com
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Advanced materials
- Cancer
- Manchester Regenerative Medicine Network
- Dementia@Manchester
- Advanced Materials in Medicine
- Christabel Pankhurst Institute
- National Graphene Institute
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 4 Quality Education
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SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
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SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
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SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
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SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Accelerated Electromagnetic Simulation of MRI RF Interactions with Graphene Microtransistor-Based Neural Probes for Electrophysiology-fMRI Integration
Kumar, S., Ramirez, A. L., Flaherty, S., Brunet, A. G., Eulate, N. A. D., Kostarelos, K., Dickie, B., Wykes, R. C. & Lemieux, L., 3 Feb 2026, Accelerated Electromagnetic Simulation of MRI RF Interactions with Graphene Microtransistor-Based Neural Probes for Electrophysiology-fMRI Integration.Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
Open Access -
Biological and environmental degradation of two-dimensional materials
Vranic, S., Kurapati, R., Kostarelos, K. & Bianco, A., 10 Jan 2025, In: Nature Reviews Chemistry.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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Engineering of a graphene oxide-based 2D platform for immune activation and modulation
Despotopoulou, D., Stylianou, M., Arellano, L. M., Kisby, T., Lozano, N. & Kostarelos, K., 2025, In: Journal of Materials Chemistry B.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Engineering the glioblastoma microenvironment using TLR7/8 agonist-complexed graphene oxide nanosheets
Stylianou, M., Kisby, T., Despotopoulou, D., Parker, H., Thawley, A., Arashvand, K., Lozano, N., MacDonald, A. S. & Kostarelos, K., 15 Jan 2025, In: Cell Reports Physical Science. 6, 1, 102342.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Flexible graphene-based neurotechnology for high-precision deep brain mapping and neuromodulation in Parkinsonian rats
Ria, N., Eladly, A., Masvidal-Codina, E., Illa, X., Guimerà, A., Hills, K., Garcia-Cortadella, R., Duvan, F. T., Flaherty, S. M., Prokop, M., Wykes, R. C., Kostarelos, K. & Garrido, J. A., 25 Mar 2025, In: Nature Communications. 16, 1, p. 2891Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile118 Downloads (Pure)
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Evaluating the impact of spreading depolarisations, post stroke, in the awake brain utilising wideband bandwidth graphene micro-transistors and multimodal imaging
Wykes, R. (PI), Allan, S. (CoI) & Kostarelos, K. (CoI)
1/04/24 → 31/03/27
Project: Research
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NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre
Bruce, I. (PI), Lord, G. (CoI), Lennon, R. (CoI), Black, G. (CoI), Wedge, D. (CoI), Morris, A. (CoI), Hussell, T. (CoI), Sharrocks, A. (CoI), Stivaros, S. (CoI), Buch, M. (CoI), Gough, J. (CoI), Kostarelos, K. (CoI), Thistlethwaite, F. (CoI), Kadler, K. (CoI), Barton, A. (CoI), Hyrich, K. (CoI), Mcbeth, J. (CoI), O'Neill, T. (CoI), Vestbo, J. (CoI), Simpson, A. (CoI), Singh, S. (CoI), Smith, J. (CoI), Felton, T. (CoI), Murray, C. (CoI), Griffiths, C. (CoI), Cullum, N. (CoI), Rhodes, L. (CoI), Warren, R. (CoI), Paus, R. (CoI), Dumville, J. (CoI), Viros Usandizaga, A. (CoI), Keavney, B. (CoI), Tomaszewski, M. (CoI), Allan, S. (CoI), Body, R. (CoI), Cartwright, E. (CoI), Heagerty, A. (CoI), Kalra, P. (CoI), Miller, C. (CoI), Rutter, M. (CoI), Smith, C. (CoI), Trafford, A. (CoI), Evans, D. (CoI), Davidson, E. (CoI), Crosbie, P. (CoI), Harvie, M. (CoI), Howell, S. (CoI), Renehan, A. (CoI), Dive, C. (CoI), Blackhall, F. (CoI), Landers, D. (CoI), Krebs, M. (CoI), Cook, N. (CoI), Clarke, R. (CoI), Taylor, S. (CoI), Jorgensen, C. (CoI), Lorigan, P. (CoI), Jayson, G. (CoI), Valle, J. (CoI), Mccabe, M. (CoI), Armstrong, A. (CoI), Freitas, A. (CoI), Illidge, T. (CoI), Choudhury, A. (CoI), Hoskin, P. (CoI), West, C. (CoI), Van Herk, M. (CoI), Faivre-Finn, C. (CoI), Bristow, R. (CoI), Kirkby, K. (CoI), Birtle, A. (CoI), Mackay, R. (CoI), Radford, J. (CoI), Linton, K. (CoI), Higham, C. (CoI), Munro, K. (CoI), Plack, C. (CoI), Arden Armitage, C. (CoI), Bruce, I. (CoI), Moore, D. (CoI), Saunders, G. (CoI), Stone, M. (CoI), Haddock, G. (CoI), Lewis, S. (CoI), Elliott, R. (CoI), Green, J. (CoI), Lovell, K. (CoI), Morrison, A. (CoI), Shaw, J. (CoI), Bucci, S. (CoI), Ainsworth, J. (CoI), Webb, R. (CoI), Newman, W. (CoI), Banka, S. (CoI), Clayton-Smith, J. (CoI), Payne, K. (CoI), Moldovan, R. (CoI), Wynn, R. (CoI) & Jones, S. (CoI)
1/12/22 → 30/11/27
Project: Research
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ICF State-of-the art preclinical MRI for imaging brain physiology
Dickie, B. (PI), Allan, S. (CoI), Asselin, M.-C. (CoI), Aznar, M. (CoI), Butterworth, S. (CoI), Couper, K. (CoI), Dunne, R. (CoI), Frangi, A. F. (CoI), Greenstein, A. (CoI), Kamper, M. (CoI), Kostarelos, K. (CoI), Lawrence, C. (CoI), Ogden, D. (CoI), Ohene, Y. (CoI), Parkes, L. (CoI), Pritchard, H. (CoI), Rowbotham, J. (CoI), South, K. (CoI), Stivaros, S. (CoI), Williams, K. (CoI) & Wykes, R. (CoI)
1/12/25 → 31/03/26
Project: Research
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Laser capture dissection for spatially-resolved -omics analysis
Swift, J. (PI), Caswell, P. (CoI), Chang, J. (CoI), Clarke, R. (CoI), Couper, K. (CoI), Dyer, D. (CoI), Eckersley, A. (CoI), Gilmore, A. (CoI), Hadjidemetriou, M. (CoI), Hayes, A. (CoI), Hepworth, M. (CoI), Hussell, T. (CoI), Knight, D. (CoI), Kostarelos, K. (CoI), Lennon, R. (CoI), March, P. (CoI), Meng, Q.-J. (CoI), Menon, M. (CoI), Piper Hanley, K. (CoI), Reid, A. (CoI), Sharrocks, A. (CoI), Sherratt, M. (CoI), Thornton, D. (CoI), Unwin, R. (CoI), Wong, J. (CoI) & Woolner, S. (CoI)
1/07/24 → 28/02/25
Project: Research
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PLASTICHEAL: Innovative tools to study the impact and mode of action of micro and nanoplastics on human health: towards a knowledge base for risk assessment
Bussy, C. (PI), Kostarelos, K. (CoI) & Vranic, S. (CoI)
1/04/21 → 31/03/25
Project: Research
Press/Media
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Graphene, AI and the brain: an extraordinary journey into human consciousness
24/06/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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CHINA DAILY: Nano technology offers hope for better cancer testing
29/11/18
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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NEW YORK POST: Tiny microrobots could be used to cure cancer
28/11/17
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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THE INDEPENDENT: Tiny robot designed to fight cancer could be inserted into human body
22/11/17
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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BBC WORLD SERVICE: Business Daily: Science and the EU
Georghiou, L. & Kostarelos, K.
1/06/17
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment