SweDeliver Dissertation • Ellen Brunzell

Since the early 20th century, the high precision of peptide drugs has made them important allies in the treatment of diabetes, cancer, and numerous other conditions. At the same time, peptides pose significant scientific challenges, one of which is their tendency to self-aggregate into clusters and structures that can affect a drug’s stability, efficacy, and, in some cases, safety.

Using advanced scattering techniques, Ellen Brunzell has studied how three therapeutic peptides with very different structures and properties self-organize in solution. She has also examined how this aggregation is influenced by factors such as salt concentration, pH, and excipients.

The results demonstrate how small differences in molecular structure can lead to large variations in self-aggregation behavior. Through her work, Brunzell contributes important insights into the mechanisms governing peptide self-organization. She also shows how structural analysis can serve as a valuable tool for identifying both problematic and potentially beneficial aggregation.

This thesis presents tools and strategies for analysing peptide aggregates and investigating the self-assembly mechanisms of therapeutic peptides in solution. These approaches are valuable throughout the entire drug life cycle – from laboratory studies to clinical application – making the findings relevant to both academic research and industrial drug development.

Wednesday 11 February Ellen Brunzell defends her thesis at Uppsala University's Biomedical Center, Lecture Hall A1:111a.

Supervisor is Magnus Bergström, Sara Mangsbo and Per Hansson (Uppsala University) and Kalle Sigfridsson (AstraZeneca). Opponent is Andrew Jackson (European Spallation Source ERIC).

Researcher bio

Ellen Brunzell received her master of science degree in pharmacy from Uppsala University . She wrote her master thesis at Uppsala University in the Pharmaceutical physical chemistry research group, before in autumn 2020 being recruited as a PhD student in the same group.