“This is a perfect challenge” • Meet SweDeliver intern Sjoerd Koopman

Apotek Produktion & Laboratorier AB is the company that steps into action where the needs are most evident: As one of Europe's leading manufacturers of extemporaneous medicines, they adapt drugs and technical aids for care recipients with unique needs. Join us for a Q&A with Christina Holmberg, one of two Managers at APL's department for Pharmaceutical Development, about an operation that contributes to both survival and increased quality of life.

“Halfway to my dissertation, a future continued career in academia and the Faculty of Pharmacy definitely seems like an attractive scenario," states Anna Simonsson, PhD student with a focus on developing new methods to administer drugs to the lungs.

“The new technology offers fantastic opportunities for pharmaceutical research. Thus, slowing down the ongoing progress might relegate Sweden to an international backwater,” says Per Larsson, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Work Package leader at SweDeliver, who in 2022 led a project at Uppsala University's interdisciplinary initiative AI4Research.

Just a minute... Göran Alderborn, Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology, who in mid-September inaugurates Pharmaceutical Aerosols, a new course highlighting inhaled drugs that will gather PhD students and researchers from three universities and numerous companies within Swedish pharma.

Alexandra Teleki and Ann-Christin Jacobsen of SweDeliver have received a Best Paper Award for their article Intrinsic lipolysis rate for systematic design of lipid-based formulations, published in the scientific journal Drug Delivery and Translational Research Special Issue May 2023.

In an article published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Göran Frenning and Irès van der Zwaan present new ways to model dissolution of polydisperse powders. The results simplify determination of dissolution profiles and can eventually be included in models for absorption of drugs administered, for example, to the lung.

In a new article, Benyamin Naranjani and Per Larsson of SweDeliver, show that decreased peristaltic wave speed can increase the maximum concentration of permeation enhancers and macromolecules at the epithelial surface with 397 and 380 percent respectively.

Emplicure AB is a small enterprise with big potential. Applying its patented bioceramic technology platform to innovations that respond to unmet needs, the company aims to improve the lives of both patients and consumers worldwide. We teamed up with Anna Franzén, Clinical & Regulatory BDO, to learn more about the importance of rolling up the sleeves whenever needed.

“Being part of the SweDeliver network is a constant source of inspiration,” states Ellen Bruntzell, PhD student at Uppsala University, who in a research project connected to both the Faculty of Pharmacy and AstraZeneca contributes new knowledge about the mechanisms that cause aggregation of peptide-based medicines.

With almost 70 high-quality applications from around the world, SweDeliver is facing the pleasant task of selecting the six master's students who during an intensive summer will experience drug delivery research at its very best.

In a new thesis, Vicky Barmpatsalou, PhD student at SweDeliver, introduces new in vitro models to cost-effectively identify which drug candidates are best suited for oral delivery and absorption in the large intestine.

Throughout the winter, Vicky Barmpatsalou, Agnes Rodler, Staffan Berg and numerous other junior researchers at SweDeliver are publishing results that add valuable knowledge to the fields of drug delivery.

How should the Swedish pharmaceutical industry secure access to future competence and attract manufacturing were questions in focus at SwedenBIO's conference 8 February with, among others, Christel Bergström, Uppsala University. Watch the discussion online now.

In summer 2023, SweDeliver offers highly motivated, late stage master students the opportunity to a 6 week research internship with one of our 16 industrial partners positioned in Sweden, Finland, Denmark or Belgium. Submit your application no later than 21 February.

Looking out our windows in Uppsala at a sparkling winter wonderland, we watch another successful year for SweDeliver come to an end.

Pharmetheus AB provides expertise in pharmacometrics, an interdisciplinary discipline where complex data and model-based methods are applied to support drug development in all clinical phases and in all therapeutic areas. We asked Erik Sjögren, Senior Consultant, what added values that arise when the fields of drug delivery and pharmacometrics interact.

You who are involved in SweDeliver can now use up to three rollups to profile our competence center's activities in connection with seminars, conferences and other gatherings. And you who spot our RollUps: Drop by and we will tell you more about our operations!

Sweden Inhalation Network works to give a new generation of Swedish researchers access to leading expertise in pulmonary drug delivery. On Thursday 15 December, the network will present their operations and future initiatives at the SweDeliver and NextBioForm webinar series.

In a new study, researchers at Uppsala University show how specially designed nanoparticles pave the way for oral delivery of biological drugs. "That the particles are absorbed in large quantities in the intestinal cells may facilitate medication for patients that have to inject their biological drug," says Patrik Lundquist, researcher in Drug Delivery.

Just a minute... Martin Lord, postdoc at SweDeliver, who after two years is leaving our national competence center for a permanent position at Uppsala University's research environment for biopharmaceuticals.

“The project's close ties and relevance to the industry was what first drew my attention to SweDeliver,“ states Julia Parlow, PhD student at Uppsala University, who is currently developing a method to study the factors affecting the transport of biologics from subcutaneous injection site to absorption site.

Just a minute... Alexandra Teleki, Center co-Director of SweDeliver and researcher with a focus on pharmaceutical nanotechnology, that in January 2023 will join as the only non-American member of the Particle Technology Forum executive committee.

SweDeliver continues to receive top marks for its successful research program and building of new networks and expertise for future drug delivery. This time from main financier Vinnova, emphasizing, among many things, the efficient collaboration that characterizes the competence center.

“My work in SweDeliver has given me a broader perspective on drug delivery,” states Ann-Sofie Persson, researcher in Pharmaceutical Technology who has remained involved in the center since the 2017 launch of predecessor Swedish Drug Delivery Forum.

During summer and autumn, Ires van der Zwaan, Marcus Wanselius, Ann-Christin Jacobsen and numerous other junior researchers at SweDeliver are publishing results that add valuable knowledge to the fields of drug delivery.

SweDeliver fulfills the high expectations and is well equipped to reach its goals, states the Competence Center's Scientific Advisory Board in a new evaluation of the ongoing collaboration between Uppsala University and 16 pharmaceutical companies.

The 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities is official: Uppsala University continues to climb in the field of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and now ranks 23rd in the world. "This is yet another acknowledgment that our determined work is fruitful," states Mathias Hallberg, Dean at the Faculty of Pharmacy.

“Receiving the BiotechBuilders Award 2022 provides valuable inspiration and hopefully contributes to consolidating Uppsala's and Biopharmaceutical’s places on the Swedish Life Science map,” states Sara Mangsbo, research director in immuno-oncology and WP-leader at SweDeliver..

With over 5 million euros in funding from Horizon Europe, new knowledge consortium GENEGUT will develop an RNA-based therapy against inflammatory disease in the gastrointestinal tract. "It is inspiring to take on a challenge with such extensive medical needs," says Per Artursson, Professor of Dosage Form Design.

Biological drugs have an increasingly important function in healthcare, but despite numerous years of research, physicians often lack effective methods to give them as tablets. In a current PhD thesis, Staffan Berg presents new knowledge about how permeation enhancers and correct release profile can increase the absorption of biological drugs in the blood when delivered orally.

Spring semester has come to an end, and what a productive one we have had! Our research is resulting in numerous scientific articles. SweDeliver´s research program is in focus of reflective talks at both national and international level. And this June, our first PhD student successfully defended his doctoral thesis!

Rankings of universities and individual researchers are gaining increasingly more attention. A high position can attract new students, leading researchers and important funding - and currently the most prestigious rankings offer very inspiring reading for everyone with connections to the Faculty of Pharmacy.

In early July, Uppsala University’s Faculty of Pharmacy welcomes PhD students and researchers from all over Europe to the ULLA Summer School 22, a unique experience that will bring together the future leaders in international pharmacy.

“Being a SweDeliver junior researcher, you often interact with companies in different sizes, countries and focus areas. To me, this is providing many important opportunities to develop my skills in scientific communication and project management, says PhD student Maryam Tofiq.

During the spring and early summer, Staffan Berg, Vahid Forooqi Motlaq, Ann-Sofie Persson, Maryam Tofiq and numerous other junior researchers at SweDeliver are publishing results that add valuable knowledge to the fields of drug delivery.

SweDeliver and NextBioForm will continue their joint webinars throughout the autumn term of 2022. The dates are are now available to experience presentations from the centers' junior researchers, special guest lectures and meetings with industrial partners. Welcome online August 25 for the first webinar of the autumn.

SweDeliver invites to Summit 29–31 August 2022, the very first time that the entire Competence Center will meet IRL. The conference, taking place at Gällöfsta Conference – located less than 70 km south of Uppsala – will also be visited by the SweDeliver Scientific Advisory Board.

Meet Center directors Christel Bergström, SweDeliver, and Cecilia Persson, AM4Life, in a special edition of STUNS podcast Speed of life, discussing the possibilities and challenges that come with coordinating world leading research and competence centers.

Tuesday 14 June, Yassir Al-Tikriti, researcher at SweDeliver and Uppsala University’s Department of Medicinal Chemistry, presented his thesis Microgels as drug delivery vehicles: Loading and release of amphiphilic drugs.

SweDeliver and ADAC, a new technology with potential to open new doors in cancer treatment developed by Sara Mangsbo, Senior lecturer and egaged in SweDeliver, takes place on the IVA 100 list, this year focusing on Technology in the service of mankind.

With the launch of a new model to calculate optimised bioavailability of subcutaneously administered biological drugs, Ilse Dubbelboer, researcher at SweDeliver, hopes to pave the way for better treatments with injected pharmaceuticals – preferably with Uppsala as her home.

“It was both fun and educational to finally meet everyone and get an overall picture of the ongoing projects," says Rosita Kneiszl Pettersson, PhD student in SweDeliver and one of 30 participants at the SweDeliver Retreat 2022.

SweDeliver continues to conduct high quality research. In the spring of 2022, Vicky Barmpatsalou, Ilse Dubbelboer, Agnes Rodler and Yassir Al-Tikriti are publishing articles that add important knowledge to the field of parenteral and oral drug delivery.

With high-quality ADME-profiling, UDOPP provides Sweden's pharmaceutical researchers the data to decide whether their molecules are ready for the next level. The platform has already paved the way for numerous high impact publications and new companies, but now the team identify future challenges.

Ultimovacs is a Norwegian pharmaceutical company with focus on the development of new immunotherapies for cancer. The company portfolio includes UV1 - a potential peptide-based vaccine, as well as the patent-protected TET platform.

“It is fantastic that Uppsala University provides its students, not least us from other countries, this extraordinary opportunity," states Jessica Mahajan, Master's student in Drug Discovery and Development and one of six students selected to do a summer internship at SweDeliver's industrial partners.

Starting in the spring of 2022, SweDeliver will offer students the opportunity to do degree projects at one of the center's industrial partners. "This is a good way to further strengthen the ties between academia and industry," states Jonas Fagerberg, Head of Pharma R&D at Disruptive Pharma.

Just a minute… Christel Bergström, Center Director at SweDeliver and co-founder of Enphasys AB, one of 50 European companies that receive 75,000 euros in the European Union's new initiative Women TechEU, drawing attention to startups with women at top.

SweDeliver and NextBioForm will continue their joint webinar series through spring 2022. The program offers a wide range of topics and presentations from our junior researchers. Welcome online for the premiere 3 February.

Just a minute… Betty Lomstein Pedersen, Lead scientist at Ferring Pharmaceuticals and new Co-Lead in SweDeliver's Oral Drug Delivery Work package, who sees a center with fundamental research of both high quality and industrial relevance.

In a new article published in Gels, Yassir Al-Tikriti, PhD student at SweDeliver, presents results supporting the hypothesis that the boundary between collapsed and swollen phases in the same microgel is stabilised by thermodynamic factors.

SweDeliver is now recruiting two PhD Students in Molecular Pharmaceutics. Welcome to submit your application no later than 18 February 2022.

SweDeliver now offers students the opportunity to do a degree project consisting of 30 or 45 credits at one of our industry partners. Welcome to submit your application or contact us for more information.

SweDeliver industrial partner Pharmetheus has been granted financing by Vinnova for the project Subcutaneous drug delivery: PBPK-QSP model for absorption and anti-drug antibody response. An initiative that will further invigorate the company's commitment in SweDeliver.

Two years in, SweDeliver can look back at a very productive 2022. Several of the PhD students have had their half time evaluations, all of them with very positive feed-back on the research performed. A large number of scientific articles have been produced and an open webinar series has been given, where SweDeliver´s young researchers and industrial partners presented and discussed the research frontier.

In summer 2022, SweDeliver offers highly motivated, late stage master students the opportunity to a 6 week research internship with one of our 16 industrial partners positioned in Sweden, Finland, Denmark or Belgium. Submit your application no later than 28 February.

“AI research can quite possibly already have the tools we need,” says Per Larsson, researcher at Uppsala University that, with the help of machine learning, aim to develop methods to calculate the solubility and absorption of oral peptide drugs into blood circulation.

Just a minute… Johan Palm, Associate Principal Scientist at AstraZeneca and new Co-Lead in SweDeliver's Oral Drug Delivery Work package, who identifies both skilled junior researchers and opportunities for increased collaboration.

“The diversity that characterizes SweDeliver is inspiring to be part of,” states Irès van der Zwaan, PhD student at Uppsala University’s Faculty of Pharmacy aiming to develop a new system for controlled release of drugs in the lung.

An article published by Rosita Kneiszl Pettersson et al. at SweDeliver showing that permeation enhancers for oral absorption can induce membrane leakiness in a concentration dependent manner, has been selected as ACS Editors' Choice, a program highlighting a limited number of articles from more than 60 peer-reviewed journals.

SweDeliver is preparing to hire summer interns 2022. “Both students and companies that participated last summer were extremely positive, so it is an easy decision for us to develop this concept further, says Center Director Christel Bergström.

SweDeliver's PhD students and postdocs continue to conduct studies of very high quality. In the autumn of 2021, Vicky Barmpatsalou, Staffan Berg, Vahid Forooqi Motlaq and Irès van der Zwaan have all presented interesting publications.

Welcome online for the 11th Symposium on Pharmaceutical Profiling in Drug Discovery and Development with themes: New drug modalities & Data driven life sciences. No admission fee. Registration is open.

Half a century after Science outreach was written into the Higher Education Act, the researchers at the Faculty of Pharmacy are frequently engaged as experts in the media. They contribute knowledge in government inquiries and navigate international collaborations. But how can a young researcher prepare for a career in the limelight?

Christel Bergström, Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Center Director at SweDeliver, receives SEK 2.4 million from the Swedish Research Council for the development of virtual intestinal environments that can provide key resources in studies of how drugs will behave in the intestine.

”Hiring a SweDeliver intern was a win-win that definitely added value,” states Mattias Springfelter, Head of Pharmaceutical Development at Orexo AB, one of six companies that in the summer of 2021 welcomed a student to experience drug delivery science at its very best.

In October, PhD students and mentors gathered in Uppsala to wrap up the first round of SweDeliver's new mentoring program. Although the pandemic limited most possibilities of interaction, no signs of digital fatigue were to be seen.

Clinical Trial Consultants AB (CTC) is a Swedish full-service and contract research organisation with clinical conduct in focus. The company facilitates clinical and translational research by providing cost-effective advice, planning, clinical execution, analysis and reports of early clinical trials.

Just a minute… Bertil Abrahamsson, Senior Principal Scientist at AstraZeneca and new chair of the SweDeliver Center Board, who recognizes a well-oiled machinery when he sees one.

Pioneer and portal figure are two attributes often used too lightly. Sometimes it's all the more difficult to avoid them. In 2001, Mats Karlsson was named the world's first Professor of Pharmacometrics. Twenty years and 400 scientific publications later, he has no plans to reduce his efficiency.

With her research on gastrointestinal mucus, Vicky Barmpatsalou, PhD student at SweDeliver, is breaking new ground towards more efficient development of drugs for oral medication and fewer animal experiments in pharmaceutical research.

With four new courses in drug development, the Faculty of Pharmacy takes an important initiative in Sweden's ongoing investment in lifelong learning. "Our field is constantly moving forward and already ten years after graduation, professional pharmacists should update their skills," says Senior lecturer Per Larsson.

By exploring the aggregation properties of different amphiphilic molecules in microgels, Yassir Al-Tikriti, PhD student at SweDeliver, aims to provide tools and knowledge of importance for future cancer therapies and antidepressants.

“This is a unique opportunity for me”, states Anton Norberg, one of the six highly motivated master students selected by SweDeliver for a summer internship and the opportunity to experience drug delivery science at its very best.

SweDeliver proudly welcomes Janssen Pharmaceutica (BE) as a full industry partner of our competence center. Being a company with core expertise in our research area, Janssen Pharmaceutica, will undoubtedly be a strong and dedicated partner of SweDeliver.

Selected by National Competence Center SweDeliver for a six week internship at Orexo AB, Samar Omer, Master student in in Drug Discovery and Development, aim to sharpen her already impressive curriculum vitae.

Just a minute ... Stanko Skrtic, new chair of SweDeliver, whose first impressions of the national competence center best sums up: great capacity, genuine job satisfaction and high expectations.

From Leiden via Nanjing to Uppsala and SweDeliver. For Sjoerd Koopman, master student in biomedicine, this summer will provide the opportunity to contribute to Clinical Trial Consultants work for a healthier world.

Just a minute… Anton Norberg, student at Uppsala University's master of science programme in pharmacy and one of six very promising students selected by SweDeliver for a six-week summer internship at one of the centre's industrial partners.

Meet the 3rd of six highly promising master students selected for research internships at SweDeliver's industrial partners: Sara Hiidenhovi, the Master programme in chemistry at the University of Jyväskylä, who will do her internship at Orion Pharma.

Get ready to meet the 2nd of six master students selected by SweDeliver for research internships with our industry partners: Yasmine Sundelin Tjärnström, studying the master programme in Chemical Engineering, ready to spend the summer at Pharmetheus.

SweDeliver are proud to present the six master students selected for research internships with our industrial partners. For these highly motivated students it will be a summer of drug delivery science at its very best in state-of-the art environments. Meet Shengtao Yu, ready to team up with Ultimovacs.

SweDeliver is recruiting a researcher in molecular pharmaceutics for the project Structural characterization of formulated macromolecular drugs with lipids in response to dilution, digestion and permeation. Submit your application no later than 16 April 2021.

This summer, SweDeliver offers highly motivated, late stage master students the opportunity to a 6 week research internship with one of our 15 industrial partners positioned in Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Submit your application today!

SweDeliver welcomes Stanko Skrtic, Medical Science Director at AstraZeneca R&D, as the new chair of our Center Board.

This spring semester, SweDeliver and NextBioForm invite to online lunch seminars. Welcome to take part in current research with a focus on industrial challenges in drug delivery and the development of biologically based drugs.

In the summer of 2021, SweDeliver will give five students the opportunity to conduct research on site at one of our industrial partners. Each project will extend over six weeks and constitute a platform for future recruitment of advanced students and PhD students to our competence center.

Affibody is a clinical stage Swedish biotech company focused on developing next generation biopharmaceuticals based on its unique proprietary technology platforms: Affibody® molecules and Albumod™.

By exploring the physical stability of particles during pulmonary drug delivery, Sohan Sarangi, PhD student at SweDeliver, is providing important knowledge about optimising the amount of drug delivered to the lungs.

Just a minute… Alexandra Teleki, Center co-Director at SweDeliver and researcher in drug development, who receives 2 million euros from the European Research Council to develop a new method to diagnose and treat inflammatory bowel disease in children.

Researchers within life sciences at Uppsala University and SweDeliver have access to Testa Center's high-quality laboratory environments. Here they will meet the infrastructure and expertise needed to take innovations to the next level.

Friday 15 January at 09.15 Caroline Alvebratt, PhD student at the Department of Pharmacy, will defend her dissertation with focus on new methods to predict the release and absorption of orally administered drugs. Welcome to participate online via Zoom.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, we will allegedly discover the way forward, so if one would ever cross our path, it would be a mistake not to try the view. Per Artursson, Professor of Dosage Form Design and Giant of Pharmaceutical Sciences, works at Uppsala Biomedical Centre, and the perspectives offered are undeniably interesting.

“Our Scientific Advisory Board expressed that SweDeliver is moving in the right trajectory, providing a unique ecosystem with great potential to exceed the needs of all stakeholders,” states Center Director Christel Bergström.

SweDeliver is honoured to welcome Orion Pharma to our partnership. Orion Pharma, founded in 1917 by Finnish pharmacists, is currently one of the Nordic region's leading pharmaceutical corporations with operations worldwide.

With a focus on lifelong learning, SweDeliver's young researchers participate in a selection of activities within the Work package Training and Career Development. First on the schedule is a series of digital lunch seminars and a Mentoring program in collaboration with the center's industrial partners.

"Our project is developing in a very positive direction," says Staffan Berg, PhD Student at SweDeliver that, with base at both AstraZeneca R&D and Uppsala's Faculty of Pharmacy, hopes to add new knowledge to one of pharmaceutical research's oldest challenges.

“SweDeliver has already extended the visibility and appeal of the Faculty of Pharmacy far beyond Sweden's borders. This enhances our ability to recruit top-of-the-line PhD students and postdocs.”, states Göran Frenning, Professor of Pharmaceutical Physics.
 

“Here, PhD Students and postdocs interact with leading research groups, aspiring start-ups and established companies. It is a dynamic environment that will ensure continued growth in the already dynamic Swedish life science sector.”

“This has become a melting pot for interdisciplinary talks, innovative thoughts and a shared desire to accelerate the process from idea to market-ready product. Here, novel methods are developed and inspired initiatives are shaped.”

This summer, SweDeliver – Sweden's first national competence center in drug delivery – was inaugurated. With the hub at Uppsala University's Faculty of Pharmacy, academia and industry will cooperate to push the boundaries for the development of new pharmaceuticals.