Postdoctoral fellow in oral drug delivery

Published: 2022-04-21

The deadline for applying to this position has passed.

Project: Functional oral peptide formulations

The Department of Pharmacy at Uppsala University is an interdisciplinary environment at the center of the pharmaceutical arena. With frontline research, first-class education and extensive collaborations we constitute a driving force in the development of our academic field. In this inspiring environment our rich diversity of research groups, several of international prominence, develop and conduct work of great scientific importance. Among our core competences are computational modelling and simulations, in vitro ADME models, advanced in vivo methods and societal aspects from optimizing the use of drugs in individuals to societal pharmaceutical policies. Together, we form a unique cluster of academic competences within pharmaceutical sciences, playing a key role in shaping the future of pharmacy in both Sweden and globally.

More information: Pharmacy
The project is partially linked to the Swedish Drug Delivery Center (SweDeliver), a world leading research forum with focus on new strategies for parenteral, oral and pulmonary drug delivery. The center unites academia and selected industrial partners to represent Scandinavian drug development and biotechnology with broad competences. Together we drive pharmaceutical research and innovation towards novel, advanced drug delivery systems. A prioritized goal of SweDeliver is to offer young scientists unique possibilities for training and career development. As a postdoctoral fellow in SweDeliver you work at the pharmaceutical faculty of Uppsala University – the academic hub of the center – together with colleagues in the research group for Molecular Pharmaceutics at the Department of Pharmacy. This work is further a part of ERC Consolidator Grant MAGNETO that aims to develop a novel diagnostic and therapeutic platform to treat IBD in children.

More information: Swedeliver
The Postdoctoral fellow will work in the field of enabling drug formulations for oral peptide delivery. Main focus will be on the SweDeliver project Local intestinal generation of transient permeability enhancers by digestion of lipid formulations. Oral delivery of hydrophilic macromolecules such as peptides remains a major challenge to formulation scientists due to their inherent poor stability in the gut as well as their low intestinal permeability. Thus, current oral peptide dosage forms suffer from very poor bioavailability and high patient variability. Several strategies have been proposed to overcome these hurdles including the use of transient permeation enhancers (TPEs) such as medium chain fatty acids and self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDs).

The overall purpose of the project is to develop SEDDs-based peptide formulations that incorporate lipid excipients. The digestion of these lipid excipients will generate fatty acids that will act as TPEs. This will result in continuous and simultaneous release of TPEs and peptide at high concentrations to the intestinal wall. Using state-of-the-art experimental in vitro methods such as a simultaneous digestion-permeation device established at Uppsala University, the postdoctoral fellow will study the TPE generating capacity of the SEDDs using commercially available lipid precursors. The project thus aims to systematically design functional peptide formulations to gain mechanistic understanding of the interplay of lipid excipients, peptides and physiological conditions in the intestine. This could potentially improve oral bioavailability of peptide drugs. This know-how will then be applied for oral delivery of biologics in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The scientific focus areas of this project are:Drug Delivery, Oral Peptide Delivery, Lipid-based formulations, Digestion-permeation models, Self-emulsifying drug delivery systems, Transient permeation enhancers.

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Duties
100% post-doctoral research fellow. The post-doctoral fellow will primarily devote his/her time to experimental research work. 

Qualifications
The successful candidate should have a PhD in Pharmacy, Chemical or Biochemical Engineering, Chemistry or other relevant area. Previous experience working with lipid-based formulations, oral delivery of macromolecules or cell-based permeation studies is beneficial. You must be able to work independently and take own initiatives, but also as part of a team and in collaboration with industrial partners within SweDeliver. Emphasis is placed on personal suitability. The applicant must also have good communication skills in English, both written and oral, due to the highly international work environment.

Eligibility
To be eligible to apply you must have a PhD or equivalent degree completed in a relevant area within three years of the application deadline. If you received your PhD earlier but special circumstances exist, you are also eligible to apply. Special circumstances refer to time off due to illness, parenteral leave, commissions of trust etc.

 How to apply
The application, preferably written in English, should be submitted via the application portal of Uppsala University and contain the following:

• a CV including a complete list of publications,
• a personal letter in which the applicant describes her- or himself, motivates why she/he has applied for the position, states relevant qualifications and indicates research interests and plans for the future,
• contact details of at least two references (email and telephone number),
• authorized copies of relevant certificates, degrees and grades, and
• copies of the three most important publications that the applicant wants to invoke.

About the employment
The employment is a  temporary position, 24 months. Scope of employment 100%. Starting date 2022-08-01 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Associate Professor Alexandra Teleki, email alexandra.teleki@farmaci.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 18 May 2022, UFV-PA 2022/1469.

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