Matthias G. Wacker

​Matthias G. Wacker is Professor of Biopharmaceutics in the Drug Delivery and Disposition Lab within the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences at KU Leuven, where he contributes to research and education in pharmaceutical sciences with a focus on advanced drug delivery and biopredictive testing. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Technology from Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany) and completed his habilitation at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology under the guidance of Prof. Jennifer Dressman and Prof. Jörg Kreuter.

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Prior to joining KU Leuven, Prof. Wacker held senior academic and research leadership positions in both academia and applied research. He led the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Nanosciences at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), where his work focused on translational formulation research at the interface of academia, industry, and regulation. From 2019 to 2026, he served as Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS), where he established an internationally visible research program in biopharmaceutics and complex drug delivery systems.

His research centers on in vitro testing and mechanistic characterization of complex dispersed dosage forms, including liposomes, lipid nanoparticles, and long-acting injectable systems. A particular emphasis lies on biopredictive release methods, in vitro–in vivo correlations (IVIVC), and the disassembly and transformation of drug carriers in physiological environments under realistic mechanical and biochemical conditions. Prof. Wacker integrates quality-by-design principles, advanced in vitro methodologies, and computational modeling to improve formulation design, regulatory relevance, and translational success.

 

Prof. Wacker is actively involved in international scientific and regulatory standardization efforts. He has contributed to expert committees of the United States Pharmacopoeial Convention (USP) and the ISO Technical Committee 229 on nanotechnology, supporting the development of robust testing standards for complex drug products. He serves on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals, including the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, the European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology.

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His scientific contributions have been recognized with awards such as the Eudragit® Best Paper Award and the Phoenix Pharmaceutics Science Award. Since 2022, he has been listed annually among the World’s Top 2% of Scientists based on single-year citation impact.