PhD Studentship: Non-linear Flows of Antibodies

How to apply: please click on the 'Apply' button above.

Number of positions: one

This is a Photon Science Institute studentship. It's directly funded at the standard UKRI rate for 3.5 years for UK students only. Tuition fees will be paid and you will receive an annual tax free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£19,237 for 2024/25). 

Non-linear flows of antibodies will be explored using next generation photonics techniques during this PhD studentship; a partnership between the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester and FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are produced at increasingly high concentrations to provide economy of scale during manufacturing and are formulated at increasingly high concentrations to improve patient outcomes e.g. in immunological treatments of cancers to reduce the evolution of resistant tumours.

Flows of mAbs demonstrate a series of challenges:

1. They are opaque,
2. They experience diverse aggregation phenomena,
3. They are viscoelastic.

We have a suite of photonic instrumentation that will be used to explore flow behaviour of concentrated mAbs that involve phenomena i), ii) and iii). We will examine:

1. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) for the microfluidics of mAbs. We will continue to develop OCT techniques for velocimetry and sizing1,2. Inclusion of an electro-optical modulator will allow velocimetry over a wider range of velocities than previously achieved and we will continue to explore possibilities for particle sizing using OCT dynamic light scattering.
2. What is the non-linear microrheology of mAbs? We were the first group to demonstrate that mAbs are viscoelastic3. We will extend these studies to consider the non-linear microrheology of mAbs that is directly relevant to their production and delivery (syringeability)4. We will use magnetic microrheology to explore the non-linear viscoelasticity.
3. What is the structure of mAb gels? We measured the gelation transition of industrially relevant mAbs via pH switching. We will use super-resolution fluorescence microscopy to image mAb gels at ~20 nm similar to previous work on synthetic gels5. The study of mAb amyloids is relevant to human disease and the phase behaviour of high concentration mAbs at low pHs is relevant industrially for viral inactivation and chromatographic purification during processing.

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s (or international equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering related discipline.

Please contact the supervisor, Dr Thomas Waigh (t.a.waigh@manchester.ac.uk) before you apply. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.

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