PostDoc - Develop a Injectable Hydrogel for Intraocular Drug Delivery

PostDoc - Develop a Injectable Hydrogel for Intraocular Drug Delivery

Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

St. Gallen, Switzerland

Your tasks

Retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema are major causes of vision loss and are commonly treated with intravitreal injections of biologics. However, current intraocular often require frequent administration due to limited drug residence time, creating a high burden for patients and clinics. We thus aim to develop a minimally invasive, injectable biomaterial platform designed to enable predictable, long-term ocular delivery of biologics while maintaining optical clarity and tissue compatibility.

In the frame of this project, you will work with a team of scientists with backgrounds in chemistry and cell biology as well as with clinical partners on the development of an injectable hydrogel system for controlled drug delivery. You will design the hydrogel, tune its properties and subsequently functionalize it to achieve predictable drug release using state of the art facilities and equipment.

Your profile

• enthusiastic and curious personality
• PhD degree in organic/polymer chemistry or a related field
• strong expertise in synthesizing and characterizing hydrogels/soft materials, and experience with sol/gel processes, biomolecule handling and release studies
• high motivation to work in an interdisciplinary project
• excellent skills at science communication (verbal and written)