PhD Position Scalable Lipid Nanoparticle Purification Technologies

PhD Position Scalable Lipid Nanoparticle Purification Technologies

Shape the future of cancer therapy through nanomedicine process engineering.

Join as a PhD candidate to design lipid nanoparticles using computational modeling with real-world validation.

SPARC (Scalable Personalized Nanotherapeutics for Cancer Treatment) is an ambitious research program dedicated to making advanced cancer therapies more effective and accessible, particularly for patients with hard-to-treat “cold tumors.” By developing personalized nanomedicines, SPARC aims to improve patient survival through innovations such as tumor-on-a-chip platforms that reduce reliance on animal testing, and novel manufacturing technologies that enhance therapeutic efficacy and product stability.

As part of this program, we are seeking a highly motivated Ph.D. student with an interest in cross-disciplinary research to join a shared position between the Precision Therapeutics group (Dr. Alina Rwei) in the Chemical Engineering department and the Complex Fluid Processing group (Prof. Johan Padding) in the Process & Energy department of TU Delft. The position will formally be at Precision Therapeutics.

The project is embedded in a strong academic–industrial network and offers close collaboration with leading pharmaceutical partners, including Merck KGaA and Johnson & Johnson.

This project focuses on purification of the output stream of lipid-based drug delivery nanoparticles manufacturing systems. These streams typically contain solvent, lipids and unencapsulated drug components, which need to be removed by dilution and subsequent ultra- or diafiltration. Current purification systems, typically based on (alternating) tangential flow filtration, suffer from loss of expensive lipid nanoparticles and membrane fouling, necessitating expensive regular replacement of the membranes.

Your task will be to engineer innovative purification systems, e.g. by changing membrane materials and designing novel filtration flow geometries, that minimize loss of lipid nanoparticles and maximise throughput. In the design you will explore modularization options for relatively quick and low-cost replacement of filtration system components. The project also involves close interaction with other research teams within the SPARC consortium, e.g., molecular mechanisms for membrane fouling are investigated.

• Computational modelling with CFD simulations:
  • Investigate the flow, diffusion and filtration in tangential flow filtration systems
  • Implement correlations to model build-up of fouling and its effects on filtration capacity
  • Develop novel flow geometries that balance:
    • Throughput (maximising production rates)
    • Mechanical stress on lipid nanoparticles (minimising loss of LNPs)
• Experimentally verify the use of alternative membranes for LNP purification.
• Experimentally verify modularisation options for the purification train, including use of quick connectors.

• MSc or equivalent in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nanotechnology or related field
• Analytical mindset with ability to work across computational and experimental domains
• Have excellent communication skills in English, and want to work in a multidisciplinary team
• Experience in computational fluid dynamics simulations or pharmaceutical downstream processes is a plus

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