Researcher in Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Department of Medicinal Chemistry at Uppsala University is a strong and international research environment. The department has about 85 employees and here, doctoral students, teachers, researchers and administrators work closely together in a creative and open environment. More information about the department can be found at www.ilk.uu.se.

We are now seeking a creative and highly motivated researcher who would like to contribute to the development of a new in vitro method to model the fate of subcutaneously administered biopharmaceuticals. The researcher will be positioned in the Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry research group but the project is a collaboration with the research groups in Theranostics and Preparative Medicinal Chemistry.

The research group in Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry seeks to clarify the relationships between the molecular structure of drug molecules, their physicochemical properties and the possibilities to control how they are stored in and released from different types of particulate drug carriers and formulations. The purpose is to create new knowledge making it possible to develop new or improved systems for the administration of drugs and to develop in vitro methods to model the fate of administered drugs, including biopharmaceuticals such as peptides and proteins, and small and amphiphilic drug molecules including cancer drugs.

In our investigations we use a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. The experimental techniques include small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), neutron reflectometry, static and dynamic light scattering (SLS/DLS), microfluidics, micropipette-assisted microscopy, confocal microscopy, fluorescence recovery after photo-bleaching (FRAP), static and time-resolved fluorescence methods, and rheology. More information about the research group can be found at the web page https://www.ilk.uu.se/research-groups/pharmaceutical-physical-chemistry/

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Project Description and Duties
Project title: In vitro properties of subcutaneously administered peptides and their bioavailability and absorption rate in vivo.

You will develop and apply experimental methods to study the transport of peptide drugs in a synthetic model of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of subcutaneous tissue in combination with in vivo studies in animal models. Peptide analogues with different types of modification and radioactive labelling will be investigated in vitro with methods developed for subcutaneous administration of drugs, and in vivo by means of PET/SPECT imaging and radioactivity measurements. The purpose is (1) to evaluate the capacity of the in vitro methods to predict the in vivo absorption and bioavailability of subcutaneously administered drugs, and (2) to increase the knowledge about factors affecting the off-target interaction between peptide drugs to improve future development of radiolabelled peptides for imaging and theranostics.

As member of Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry research group and the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, you are expected to document all experimental work, being able to efficiently plan research experiments and analyse their results, as well as contribute to the writing of research manuscripts. You are also expected to be able to present your results on group meetings and various department seminars and meetings, and to carry out administrative tasks in connection with reporting of research.

Requirements
The candidate should have a PhD degree in either physical chemistry, physical pharmacy, pharmaceutics, biomedical engineering, or corresponding disciplines. The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. The candidate should have extensive research experience from the areas described in the project description. As the main languages in our working environment are Swedish and English, the candidate must be fluent in either one of these two languages.

Additional qualifications
It is considered highly valuable if the candidate has practical experience of

• Synthesis of biopolymer-based hydrogel materials and characterization of their physical and chemical properties with rheological methods, scattering techniques and NMR spectroscopy
• The application of methods to study diffusion and mass transport in hydrogels, such as microchip/microfluidics methods and FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photo-bleaching), including fluorescent labelling of peptides.
• In vivo studies in animal models and working with radionuclides.

Application process
The application should be written in English and should contain the following:

• Cover letter with summary of your previous research experiences (1-2 pages)
• CV with contact information
• Contact information to at least two references

Ranking of the candidates will be done by the project leader. We will seek to recruit the candidate that is deemed the most qualified for the position and who will be able to contribute to the development of our department. Special importance will be given to experience of experimental investigations of diffusion and mass transport in gels or related complex materials.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position, 12 months. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as soon as possible or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Professor Per Hansson (project leader), per.hansson@ilk.uu.se and Head of Dept. Anders Karlén, anders.karlen@ilk.uu.se 

Please submit your application by 8 May 2023, UFV-PA 2023/1534.

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