Physiochemical Characterization of Nanomedicines: Modalities and Opportunities
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 will be able to:
1. Describe and compare biophysical modalities for characterization of nanomedicines.
2. Identify most suitable biophysical modalities for characterizing self-assembled drug nanocarriers.
3. Understand the characterization approaches and provide examples on typically used biophysical modalities for characterization of specific nanomedicines.
4. Analyse and describe recent nanomedicine research studies (including application of machine learning), and outline the specific advantages of the physiochemical nanomedicine characterization aspects.
5. Refer to the growing opportunities for advanced nanomaterial/nanomedicine characterization investigations at large research facilities (especially MAX IV laboratory and the European Spallation Source (ESS).
Content
The course aims at on providing the PhD students with insight into the most advanced biophysical and imaging tools used in the characterization of nanomedicines. In addition to provision of basic information on the state-of-the-art biophysical and imaging tools, we aim at highlighting main challenges and opportunities, and advanced nanomaterial/nanomedicine research activities at the two large research facilities in Sweden: MAX IV and ESS. The course will include the following:
1. Introductory lecture on nanomedicine
2. Characterization tools in the nanomedicine research area
3. Size characterization of drug nanocarriers: DLS, NTA, and other tools.
4. SAXS and its combinations with WAXS for nanostructural characterization studies
5. SANS and other neutron tools for nanostructural characterization studies
6. Synchrotron methods at MAX IV: Opportunities for nanomaterial/nanomedicine characterization
7. Future nanomaterial/nanomedicine research activities at ESS
8. Advanced characterization focusing on corona formation, and emerging issues associated with nanomedicine exposure to gastrointestinal media
9. Recent improved understanding of drug release properties of nanomedicines intended for oral formulations
10. Protein nanomedicine characterization
11. TEM characterization of nanoparticles and electron tomography
12. Recent advances in Cryo-TEM imaging of nanomedicines
13. Visiting the Core Facility for Integrated Microscopy (CFIM)
14. Taylor dispersion analysis (TDA) for characterization of nanomedicines
15. Machine learning in the development and characterization of nanomedicines
Participants
The course is relevant for all PhD students interested in advanced methodologies for characterization of nanomaterials and nanomedicines. Particularly, it is relevant for students performing research activities in nanoscience, and pharmaceutical medical sciences.
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)
All graduate programmes
Language
English
Form
The course consists of different lectures, group work and discussions, a machine learning computer exercise, and short presentations
Course director
Anan Yaghmur, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy, anan.yaghmur@sund.ku.dk
Teachers
Anan Yaghmur, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
Jesper Østergaard, Professor, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
Sara Bals, Professor, EMAT, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Ben Boyd, Professor, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
Anders Østergaard Madsen, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
Vito Foderà, Professor, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
Dorthe Posselt, Associate Professor, IMFUFA, University of Roskilde
Mia Danielsen, Postdoc, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
TBA: Two/three additonal teachers
Dates
17-20 November 2025
Course location
Department of Pharmacy, Universitetsparken 2/Jagtvej 160, 2100 Copenhagen
Registration
Please register before 15 October 2025.
Expected frequency
Every year in November
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.