PhD position in Polymer-Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Hybrids

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are natural, biocompatible carriers with innate targeting abilities, making them promising drug delivery vehicles. However, as seen with most nanoparticle platforms, endosomal escape is a limiting factor for their therapeutic impact: the key step determining whether cargo, e.g., CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing machinery, reaches the cytosol or is degraded. Overcoming this barrier is crucial to unlock the full potential of EVs as Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs).

Your job
A promising, yet unexplored, approach to the enhance endosomal escape efficiency of EVs is to engineer hybrid delivery systems by decorating their surfaces with synthetic polymers capable of selectively disrupting endosomal membranes.

In this PhD position your role will be to design and synthesize the polymers, devise strategies to tether them to EVs, and test the obtained hybrid delivery platforms for functional cargo delivery of model- and pharmaceutically relevant cargo in vitro. Additionally, you will explore further functionalization of the hybrid EVs with nanobodies to improve their cellular uptake selectivity. In this research, you will be supported by existing expertise in EV isolation, loading and characterization (Dr. de Jong), polymeric drug delivery systems (Dr. van Ravensteijn) and nanobody-mediated targeting (Dr. Oliveira). Ultimately, you will deliver a proof-of-concept for polymer-mediated endosomal escape of EVs, paving the way further in vivo implementation.

The multidisciplinary nature and societal relevant research direction make this PhD position the ideal opportunity to develop yourself into an independent and versatile researcher which is well-versed in the latest developments in drug delivery. Additionally, you will have the chance to contribute to educating the next generation of (pharmaceutical) scientists through active involvement in the educational programmes of Utrecht University.

We are looking for a collaborative and enthusiastic PhD student who meets several or all of the following criteria:

• you hold a Master’s degree in pharmaceutics, molecular life sciences, biomedical technology, drug innovation, (bio)chemistry or a related discipline with affinity for both chemistry and biology;
• you have a solid background in, or a strong motivation to develop expertise in, polymer chemistry, extracellular vesicles, bioconjugation and nanomaterials science, in vitro experimentation, (bio-)analytical & physical-chemical characterization of biomaterials, and fundamentals of biomaterial-cell interactions;
• you thrive in a multidisciplinary research environment that brings together pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry and biology;
• you are able to balance independence with teamwork by planning and executing experiments autonomously while contributing to a collaborative environment and shared scientific goals within the research group;
• you show perseverance and flexibility in addressing complex, multifaceted scientific challenges;
• you communicate clearly and effectively in English, both in writing and speech.

• a full-time position for 18 months, with extension to a total of four years upon successful assessment;
• a gross monthly salary between € 3.059 and €3.881 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development, various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities. You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

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You will join the Pharmaceutics division of the Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS). The UIPS is the research institute of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The Pharmaceutics division is an internationally renowned top-research group in the field of drug delivery. The core activity of the division is the design and pre-clinical testing of tailor-made drug delivery systems. The Pharmaceutics team consist of scientists from all over the world with backgrounds ranging from pharmacy, biology, chemistry and material science. Within this multidisciplinary research environment, we aim to generate new fundamental understanding of drug delivery systems and connect this to applied pharmaceutical research.