PhD position in Nanoparticles for Intestinal Diseases (1.0 FTE)

Job description

Intestinal fibrosis is a common complication in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. It is a serious therapeutic problem, which is difficult to diagnose and treat. Intestinal tissue is easy to access with nanoparticles, which offers excellent opportunities for therapy and diagnosis e.g. a theranostic approach.

The current proposal aims to find (I) relevant target receptors in diseased intestinal tissue, with special focus on macrophages and fibroblasts, (II) prepare lipid nanoparticles that bind to these receptors enabling delivery of fluorescence labels and experimental drugs into the target cells, and finally (III) test the application of these constructs to monitor disease activity and effects of drugs. Research will be performed in cultures of fibroblasts and precision-cut intestinal slices from IBD patients. The aim is to image fibroblast and macrophage accumulation, and explore...