Alexandra Teleki and AstraZeneca welcome SSF Industrial PhD Student

2023-10-25

With funding from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, Alexandra Teleki, researcher in drug delivery, and AstraZeneca are taking the next important step in using nanotechnology to develop a new and effective treatment against inflammatory bowel disease.

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The Faculty of Pharmacy congratulates Alexandra Teleki, Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacy and one of 13 Swedish researchers to receive a Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) grant for an Industrial Doctoral Project in 2023. With this program, SSF supports excellent research that promotes cross-fertilization between academia and industry, and the PhD student will share its time between Uppsala University's Biomedical Center and AstraZeneca's site in Mölndal.

“It is inspiring to be selected in such a significant context, where I will share supervision of the PhD student with Rebecca Fransson, Associate Director at AstraZeneca. The upcoming project, Targeted delivery for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, is an important part of our ongoing work to pave the way for better tools for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic inflammatory bowel disease,” says Alexandra Teleki.

(Image removed) Alexandra Teleki, Uppsala University

Inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract - including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease - has historically been concentrated to Europe and North America, but is now spreading in, among others, Asian countries. It is a complex disease that varies between individuals. Thus, contributing to the fact that healthcare still lacks effective treatment. With an ERC Consolidator Grant of two million euros, Alexandra Teleki has since 2021 been leading an international project with a focus on a nanoparticle whose properties make it a promising tool in the work.

“This particle is both easy to produce and flexible in its structure. Our ambition is to make it deliver the drug through barriers in the gut, on to the inflamed tissue and, once it arrives at the target, release the substance. Within the framework of our upcoming project, we will also study how effective the method is in models that mimic ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, and when we reach the distance, we aim to contribute to an effective treatment against inflammatory bowel disease with fewer side effects and increased quality of life for patients.”

FACTS

Since its start in 2014, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research program has resulted in almost 120 industrial doctoral students
The PhD student will start working at the Faculty of Pharmacy/Lab Teleki and AstraZeneca in 2024.
In 2021–2025, Alexandra Teleki also leads Project MAGNETO with 2 million euros in funding from the European Research Council.

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CONTACT

(Image removed) Alexandra Teleki, Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacy
alexandra.teleki@farmaci.uu.se

text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Teleki Lab