Analytical Methodology in Protein Formulation Development
Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen
This course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School), and for PhD Students from NorDoc member faculties. All other participants must pay the course fee.
Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at a Danish university, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. This also applies to PhD students from NorDoc member faculties. After the enrollment deadline, available seats will be allocated to applicants on the waiting list.
Learning objectives
A student who has met the objectives of the course:
1. Will have insight into analytical methods to characterize protein physicochemical instability
2. Will be able to describe and understand the advantages and disadvantages of these methods
3. Will be able to explain the mechanistic background of the experimental methods
4. Will be able to relate the information obtained from those methods to the various destabilization mechanisms of proteins
5. Will be able to assess the used methods in scientific papers/reports, and propose additional/alternative methods
Content
General information on protein physicochemical instability as relevant for in particular pharmaceutical development will be provided. Several of the most important analytical methods will also be discussed, including mechanistic background, instrumentation, advantages, and disadvantages.
Specifically, lectures will be given on the following topics:
Introduction to proteins in various applications, with focus on pharmaceutical use.
Introduction to protein structure
Protein physicochemical stability, stabilisation, and formulation
Analytical methods to study protein structure in pharmaceutical formulations (focus on UV-VIS, Fluorescence, CD, and FTIR/Raman spectroscopy, scattering methods, flow-induced dispersion analysis and mass spectrometry)
Analytical methods and protein stabilisation in academic and industrial practice
Participants
The course is primarily aimed at academic and industrial scientists working on protein formulation development, but may also be of relevance to scientists whose work on proteins is hampered by their physicochemical instability.
Participants are highly recommended to have a prior understanding of basic thermodynamics, protein structure, and analytical chemistry. The course should be considered intermediate to high level.
Relevance to graduate programmes
The course is relevant to PhD students from the following graduate programmes at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH:
Pharmaceutical Sciences (Drug Research Academy)
Language
English
Form
The course consists of several lectures (ca. 20 hrs), and group work and discussions (ca. 9 hrs).
The examination of the course (pass/fail) consists of a 5-6 page essay in which the participant can either use their own project or a self-selected scientific paper to illustrate what they have learned during the course. This essay must be submitted ca. 6 weeks after the end of the course.
Course director
Vito Foderà, Professor, Department of Pharmacy, vito.fodera@sund.ku.dk
Teachers
Vito Foderà, Professor, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
Marco van de Weert, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
Kasper Rand, Professor, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
Jette Kastrup, Professor, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen
John Carpenter, Professor, University of Colorado, USA
Tudor Arvinte, Professor, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Henrik Jensen, CSO, Fida Biosystems
Samuel Lenton, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
Dates
24-28 March 2025
Course location
PharmaSchool, Universitetsparken 2/Jagtvej 160, 2100 Copenhagen
Registration
Please register before February 15th 2025
Expected frequency
This course is in principle held every two years
Seats to PhD students from other Danish universities will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the applicable rules.
Applications from other participants will be considered after the last day of enrolment.
Note: All applicants are asked to submit invoice details in case of no-show, late cancellation or obligation to pay the course fee (typically non-PhD students). If you are a PhD student, your participation in the course must be in agreement with your principal supervisor.