The project you will be working on as a PhD student Infectious Diseases is funded through the NWO domain Applied and Engineering Science research program NACTAR. Together with a postdoc you will work in a multi-disciplinary team comprising academic and non-academic partners. You will have a specific role in the development and pre-clinical testing of SAAP-148 modifications with enhanced pharmaceutical kinetics and dynamics (PKPD) properties and appropriate antibacterial activities and safety profile. Furthermore, you will have a role in developing/optimizing and pre-clinical testing of controlled release systems for application of antimicrobial peptides like SAAP-148 in deeper layers of tissues/wounds and of formulations of modified SAAP-148 for elimination of intracellularly localized bacteria. Finally, your role will include  providing proof-of-concept for the selected combinations of formulation and SAAP-148 modifications after injection in deeper layers of tissues/wounds. As a PhD student you will receive extensive training throughout the project following the guidelines of the graduate school at the LUMC.
 

You are a motivated candidate who holds a master’s or doctorate degree Life Sciences and Technology, Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Medical Technology, or a related subject. You have an interest in multidisciplinary research (in formulation of antimicrobial agents) and an insatiable thirst for new knowledge. Furthermore, you are able to work with a variety of chemical equipment and computers confidently. You also have the ability to spend extended periods at different research locations. As far as communication skills go, we expect you to be fluent in English.

Fixed-term contract: four years.

You will be employed on the basis of a 36-hour work week. You will be appointed for the duration of a PhD project, which is four years. Your salary is € 2,279 gross per month in the first year, progressing to a maximum of €2,919 gross per month in the fourth year, based on a full time position (scale PhD students of the Collective Labor Agreement for University Hospitals).

The terms of employment offered by the LUMC are highly favorable. For example, you will receive 8% holiday remuneration, a year-end bonus, and a pension arrangement with the National Civil Pension Fund. Also, as employee of one of the University Hospitals in the Netherlands, you can benefit from our collective health insurance policy.

Moreover, the LUMC offers excellent facilities in the area of education, child-care center, and career advice.

Leiden University Medical Center

The LUMC is a center for medical innovation that aims to improve patient care through leading international research. To also provide our patients with a safe and friendly environment, we need doctors, medical care specialists, support staff and academic researchers. You will work in Leiden (LUMC), Nijmegen (Avivia BV), and Beverwijk (ADBC) and/or Amsterdam (AMC).

Infection Diseases

Your base location will be LUMC, the department of Infection Diseases, where you will be supervised by Dr. P.H. Nibbering, principal investigator.

The project

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) worldwide raises fears of untreatable infections. If current trends continue, an estimated10 million people will die as a result of AMR in 2050. In an attempt to prevent this dark scenario we have developed a novel agent, i.e. the synthetic antibacterial and anti-biofilm peptide SAAP-148, that is highly effective against AMR bacteria and biofilms. In this project we will develop chemical modifications to increase the peptide’s stability and ability to penetrate cells, while minimizing its side effects. Several strategies, e.g. nanoparticles and PLGA microspheres, to optimize the delivery of SAAP-148 deep into wounds with a controlled release over time will be developed in parallel. Efficacy of combinations of optimal formulations and peptide modifications will be investigated in preclinical models for chronic wound infections. Successful combinations will be available for clinical trials.