Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, National University of Singapore
4 Science Drive 2, Block S9#15, Singapore 117544
Group Website: https://pharmacy.nus.edu.sg/bnt/
Giorgia Pastorin received her Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry in 2004 in Italy. She then spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher at the CNRS in Strasbourg, France, where she specialized in drug delivery.
She joined the National University of Singapore (NUS) in June 2006 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011, appointed Assistant Head in 2014, Deputy Head in 2016, and Full Professor in 2024. She is currently the Head of the Department of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at NUS.
Her research focuses on drug delivery, with the aim of enhancing the pharmacological efficacy of bioactive agents, such as platinum-based anticancer complexes, while minimizing undesirable side effects. More recently, her BioNanoTechnology (BNT) Group has developed cell-derived nanovesicles (CDNs) and biohybrid systems as novel, biocompatible extracellular vesicle mimetics for targeted drug delivery. Her innovative approach to using unconventional yet highly effective cell-derived nanocarriers has become a signature research program, resulting in invention disclosures, industry collaborations, and the European School of Medicinal Chemistry (ESMEC) Award 2025.
She is the sole editor and co-editor, respectively, of two books on drug delivery and has authored around 200 articles in internationally peer-reviewed journals. She has graduated more than 20 PhD students and served as a Guest Editor for a special issue in the Journal of Controlled Release.
Representative Publications
[1] Maria V. Babak, Yang Zhi, Bertrand Czarny, Tan Boon Toh, Lissa Hooi, Edward Kai-Hua Chow, Wee Han Ang,* Dan Gibson* and Giorgia Pastorin*. Dual-targeting Dual-action Platinum(IV) Platform for Enhanced Anticancer Activity and Reduced Nephrotoxicity. (2019) Angew. Chemie Int. Ed., 58, 1-7.
[2] Nicolette Yau Jia Ning, Thirumal Yempala, Muthuramalingam Ram Pravin Kumar, Wee Han Ang, Dan Gibson, Giulia Adriani*, Giorgia Pastorin*. Fluorescence‐Guided Spatial Drug Screening in 3D Colorectal Cancer Spheroids. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2024, 13, 2400203.
[3] Alvaro Lopez-Sanchez, Henri Chédotal, Ram Pravin Kumar Muthuramalingam, Marine Thomas, Jia Ning Nicolette Yau, Priya Ranjan Sahoo, Clotilde Policar, Frédéric Batteux, Kadda Medjoubi, Andrea Somogyi, Giulia Adriani, Carole Nicco, Romain Coriat,* Giorgia Pastorin,* Hélène C. Bertrand*. A targeted redox-active dual-action Pt(IV)-Mn(II) prodrug displays enhanced in vivo anticancer activity. (2025) Advanced Healthcare Materials, 14, 2501847.
[4] Babu, Tomer; Muthuramalingam, Ram Pravin Kumar; Chng, Wei Heng; Yau, Nicolette; Acharya, Sourav; Engelmayer, Nurit; Feldman-Goriachnik, Rachel; Lev, Shaya; Pastorin, Giorgia; Binshtok, Alexander; Hanani, Menachem; Gibson, Dan. Multitargeting Pt(IV) Derivatives of Cisplatin or Oxaliplatin Inhibit Tumor Growth in Mice without Inducing Neuropathic Pain. (2025) Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 68, 1608−1618.
[5] Jia Xuan Kee, Jia Ning Nicolette Yau, Ram Pravin Kumar Muthuramalingam, Xinyi Wang, Wei Heng Chng, Alvaro Lopez-Sanchez, Kevin Kuang Wei Tay, Lih-Wen Deng, Dan Gibson, Helene C. Bertrand, Giulia Adriani, Wee Han Ang,* and Giorgia Pastorin*. Colorectal Cancer at the Crossroads – the Good, the Bad and the Future of Platinum-based Drugs. Chemical Reviews, 2025, 125, 10248−10341.
