Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch (born in Klagenfurt, December 6, 1965) is an Austrian scientist and entrepreneur currently serving as Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology at the Institute of Pharmacy, University of Innsbruck.

He is the inventor of several technologies, including thiolated polymers,[1][2] which he named thiomers in 2000,[3] and phosphatase-triggered charge-converting nanoparticles designed for mucosal drug delivery.

[1][2] Several thiomer-based medicines have successfully completed clinical trials,[10][11] with first products targeting conditions such as dry eye syndrome have now available on the global pharmaceutical market.

[12] In 2001, at the 4th Central European Symposium on Pharmaceutical Technology in Vienna, he introduced thiolated polysaccharides as novel biopolymers for tissue engineering.

[17] These nanocarriers offer extended residence time on mucosal membranes,[18][19][20] enhanced permeation[21] efflux pump inhibition,[22] and improved cellular uptake.

[23] Additionally, Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch developed charge-converting nanoparticles for mucosal drug delivery leveraging the membrane-bound enzyme alkaline phosphatase to trigger a change in zeta potential from negative to positive directly at the epithelium.