Dr. Heyns holds a doctoral degree in polymer science from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Her doctoral thesis was on the development of the hydrophilic, biocompatible 3-methylene-2-pyrrolidone (3M2P) polymer class. The study included the design, synthesis and characterization, as well as the evaluation of the stimuli-responsive behavior of the 3M2P-based (co)polymers. The polymers were evaluated for their potential use in industrial applications (kinetic hydrate inhibitors for the oil and gas industry) and for biomedical applications (encapsulating biological material). Subsequently, she worked in the polyolefin processing sector in South Africa as a polymer scientist (2019-2020). Her expertise includes organic synthesis, reversible deactivation radical polymerization techniques and physical polymer chemistry of stimuli-responsive polymers. She joined The Kumar lab in July 2021, where her main research focus will be on designer polymer synthesis for drug delivery applications and beyond.Education
2018 PhD in Polymer Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
2014 MSc (Cum Laude) in Polymer Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
2012 BSc (Hons) in Polymer Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
2011 BSc in Chemistry, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

E-mail: imheyns@ua.edu
​Phone: 205-348-2454

Publications

• Polyester nanoparticles with controlled topography for peroral drug delivery using insulin as a model protein. I. Heyns, M. Arora, R. Ganugula, S. Allamreddy, S. Tiwari, D Shah, R. Basu, M. N. V. Ravi Kumar.  ACS Nano 18: 11863–11875, 2024. (Cover article)
• Rationally designed naringenin-conjugated polyester nanoparticles enable folate receptor-mediated peroral delivery of insulin. I. M. Heyns, R. Ganugula, T. Varma, S. Allamreddy, N. Kumar, P. Garg, M. N. V. Ravi Kumar, M. Arora. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 15:45651-45657, 2023.
• Glucose-responsive microgel comprising conventional insulin and curcumin-laden nanoparticles – a potential combination for diabetes management. I. M. Heyns, G. Davis, R. Ganugula, M. N. V. Ravi Kumar and M. Arora.  AAPS J. 25: 72, 2023.