Fully funded four-year PhD project in Biopharmaceutical Purification and Separation

Applications are invited for a four-year PhD project at the Process and Chemical Engineering Department in the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science (SEFS) at University College Cork, supervised by Dr Vivek Verma.

The PhD studentship is funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) as part of a project on the “Template Assisted Crystallisation of Oligonucleotide Drugs (EMERALD)”.

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) are novel alternative gene therapeutics with the potential to target diseases at the molecular level. The purification and isolation steps of ASO production generate the maximum waste, making the process unsustainable, creating a demand for greener and more economical routes. EMERALD envisions developing a template-assisted crystallisation protocol to produce ASO crystals with improved handling and processing properties. The aim is to develop a generalised protocol that can be used for a broad variety of ASOs differing due to their nucleotide sequence, and to use this protocol to crystallise a marketed ASO drug.

The PhD Project

The PhD project will (1) Investigate critical process parameters for ASO crystallisation and optimisation the process; (2) Screen and study the effect of templates on ASO crystallisation; (3) Examine the effect of nucleotide sequence on ASO crystallisation; and (4) Translate the learning to the marketed ASOs.

Funding

The PhD position is funded for four years. It includes a tax-free stipend of €24,500 p.a. and tuition fees covered at the EU rate.

Start date

1 October 2024

Eligibility criteria

Essential:

• A 1.1 or 2.1 BSc/BE/BS honours degree (or equivalent) in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical science and engineering, chemical engineering or related subject.
• A good understanding of or strong interest in (bio)pharmaceutical purification and separation.
• A strong understanding of experimental design, data analysis and statistics.
• Willingness to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent organisational skills
• Evidence of having completed a research project.

Desirable:

• MSc/MS in a relevant subject.

Experience in designing (bio)pharmaceutical crystallisation process.