This is a newsletter from NextBioForm, a center coordinated by RISE with the goal to deliver better formulations for biopharmaceuticals. From the long-term perspective, our goal is to create stable biopharmaceuticals that will improve the quality of life for patients.
Read past NextBioForm newsletters and subscribe here |
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NextBioForm is coming to a close at the end of this year, and we can look back on a very fruitful collaboration between our partners. We have had our final consortium meeting, and I believe we are all impressed by our joint accomplishments. |
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In this last issue of the newsletter, we have interviewed NextBioForm researcher Zandra Gidlöf. At the end of November 2024, during her PhD defence, Zandra defended her thesis in Food and Formulation Technology entitled "Aqueous Two-phase Systems for Starch Microsphere Formulation and Encapsulation of Live Bacteria - A Phase Behavior Perspective". See her publication below. |
Read the interview
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Next year we will have the pleasure to invite you all to not one but two PhD defenses.
First up is Amanda Västberg who will defend her thesis “Physical Stability of Therapeutic Proteins in Solution: Exploring Aggregation and Particle Formation under Heat, Pumping, and Seeding Conditions”. The defense will take place on the 25th of February at 9.00 in Hall KC:A Kemicentrum, Naturvetarvägen 22, Lund. The opponent is Prof Hristo Svilenov.
Our second defense will be headlined by Ingrid Ramm on the 14th of March and more information will come closer to the date.
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A few weeks ago, the last center meeting in NextBioForm was held. It was a meeting of two countries as we started of the first day at Ferring’s new building in Copenhagen.
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Author: Zandra Gidlöf |
The human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is home to a large community of microorganisms that contribute to human health. Delivering live bacteria to the gut for therapeutic purposes can thus be highly beneficial. However, delivering live biotherapeutic products or probiotic bacteria to the GIT presents challenges because the cells must remain viable during production, storage, and administration. Encapsulating the bacteria in starch microspheres is an interesting approach for this purpose. Starch microspheres can be produced in aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs). These ATPS can be created by dissolving the starch in water along with polymers of a different chemical nature. Emulsification of the system can generate dispersed starch phase droplets in a continuous polymer phase. Here, the starch can crystallise into solid microspheres, by utilising the natural crystallisation ability of pre-gelatinised starch. The ATPSs can provide a gentle environment for sensitive compounds, such as biologics. Moreover, the digestion of starch in the GIT could potentially be utilised as an oral delivery mechanism for encapsulated cargo.
“My research group has focused on the formulation of starch microspheres in water-based two-phase systems. We have investigated how different parameters affect the formation of these microspheres and whether these systems can be used to incorporate live probiotic bacteria into starch-based particles”, says Zandra.
Link to the publication
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Authors: Daniel Tristan Osanlóo, Denny Mahlin, Simon Bjerregaard, Björn Bergenståhl, Anna Millqvist-Fureby. |
This article compares and explores vacuum foam-drying as an alternative drying technology to freeze-drying and spray drying for a recombinant human lipase as the model protein. We have investigated how the material structure is related to the composition and process method, and how this influences the functional properties of the dry product. The lipase activity was used as an indicator for the stability of this enzyme through drying and reconstitution. It was found that the lipase activity was retained up to 10% lipase in the solid material, but that higher lipase content some of the activity was lost. This may be an effect of phase separation in the solid material. Vacuum foam-drying shows promise as an alternative drying technique for the lipase, and potentially other proteins.
Link to the publication
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