Dr. Rodi Abdalkader got his bachelor degree in pharmacy and pharmaceutical chemistry from Damascus University. After that and upon getting the Japanese MEXT scholarship he could join Kyoto University for obtaining both his master and Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences in the Department of Drug Delivery Research.

During his master degree, he investigated the selective targeting of liposomes that were modified with sugar moieties like mannose-6-phosphate and encapsulated with anti-cancer agents like doxorubicin. Moreover, during that time he also started learning about peptide synthesis and bio-conjugate techniques for introducing some other ligands such as RGD peptides that could easily be incorporated into liposomes.

His main research focus during the Ph.D. course included the development of small-sized phospholipids based ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) that have size ranges between 200 to 500 nm in diameter for the purpose of drug and gene delivery. He also could prove the effective use of UCAs in the field of cancer theranostics (therapy and diagnosis).

He speaks English, Kurdish, Arabic, and Japanese. In his free times, he likes drawing, playing basketball and practicing playing the violin.

Drug delivery; Liposomes; Ultrasound contrast agents; and Theranostics