Structure and stability of lipid-based drug delivery platforms
This project studies the structure and stability of lipid-based drug carriers (like liposomes) using advanced imaging to improve drug delivery design.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
NRC Research Associateship Programs has archived this opportunity.
Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: February 1, 2025 | May 1, 2025 | August 1, 2025 | November 1, 2025
Funding Amounts: $82,764 stipend plus $3,000 travel allowance; typical appointment duration 2 years.
Summary: Postdoctoral fellowship to study the structure and stability of lipid-based drug delivery systems using advanced imaging and scattering techniques to improve formulation design.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens with a doctoral degree earned within the last 5 years; research conducted on-site at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD.
Description
This fellowship opportunity at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) focuses on investigating lipid-based drug delivery platforms such as liposomes, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), and emulsions. These lipid assemblies are critical for encapsulating and protecting therapeutic molecules and are used clinically in vaccines and treatments for diseases including fungal infections and cancer.
The research aims to understand how the detailed structure of these delivery systems relates to their stability and performance under various processing conditions such as shear stress, air exposure, dilution/concentration, freezing, lyophilization, and long-term storage. Advanced characterization methods including small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), and cryogenic electron microscopy (CryoEM) will be employed.
Insights gained will help optimize lipid composition, buffer components, and processing parameters to improve encapsulation efficiency, retention, uptake, and delivery efficacy, ultimately aiding the design of new and improved lipid-based drug formulations.
