Liposomes are currently the goldstandard in drug delivery systems, widely used to transport chemotherapeuticsand mRNA vaccines [1]. However, a critical bottleneck in their manufacturing isheterogeneity: synthesized batches often contain a mixture of empty vesicles,varying sizes, and inconsistent drug encapsulation efficiencies. Traditionalpurification methods (like centrifugation or chromatography) are often slow,require large sample volumes, or lack the sensitivity to distinguish between aliposome that is "full" and one that is "empty." To advancenanomedicine, we need a high-precision, non-invasive method to characterize andsort these carriers based on their internal payload. This project addressesthat gap by leveraging Dielectrophoresis (DEP), a microfluidic technique thatmanipulates particles using non-uniform electric fields [2], to develop alabel-free quality control and separation platform.
In this project, you will work at the intersection ofmicrofluidics, physics, and physical chemistry. The core hypothesis is that theinternal chemical loading of a liposome fundamentally alters its dielectricpermittivity and conductivity, thereby changing its response to DEP forces [3,4]. Your goal is to experimentally determine the "dielectricfingerprint" of liposomes with varying cargo loads. Specific tasksinclude:
This position is ideal for a student looking to gain amultidisciplinary skillset highly valued in both academia and the biotechindustry. You will move beyond simple observation to rigorous quantitativeanalysis. Skills you will learn:
[1] Sercombe, Lisa, et al."Advances and challenges of liposome assisted drug delivery." Frontiersin pharmacology 6 (2015): 286.
[2] Pethig, Ronald."Dielectrophoresis: Status of the theory, technology, andapplications." Biomicrofluidics 4.2 (2010).
[3] Green, Nicolas G., and HywelMorgan. "Dielectrophoretic investigations of sub-micrometre latexspheres." Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 30.18(1997): 2626.
[4] Adekanmbi, Ezekiel O., andSoumya K. Srivastava. "Dielectric characterization of bioparticles viaelectrokinetics: The past, present, and the future." AppliedPhysics Reviews 6.4 (2019).
[5] Voldman, Joel."Electrical forces for microscale cell manipulation." Annu.Rev. Biomed. Eng. 8.1 (2006): 425-454.
Type of internship: Master internship, Bachelor internship
Duration: 6 months
Required educational background: Bioscience Engineering, Electrotechnics/Electrical Engineering, Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, Physics, Chemistry/Chemical Engineering
University promotor: Liesbet Lagae (KU Leuven)
Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact Ehsan Mohammadi (< email deleted for security reasons >)
The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-059. Mention this reference code in your application.
Imec allowance will be provided for students studying at a non-Belgian university.
Applications should include the following information:
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
In this project, you will work at the intersection ofmicrofluidics, physics, and physical chemistry. The core hypothesis is that theinternal chemical loading of a liposome fundamentally alters its dielectricpermittivity and conductivity, thereby changing its response to DEP forces [3,4]. Your goal is to experimentally determine the "dielectricfingerprint" of liposomes with varying cargo loads. Specific tasksinclude:
- DEP Investigation:Systematically testing the behaviour of Liposomes against electric field toidentify the threshold required to separate loaded vs. unloaded vesicles [5].
- Optimization: Determiningthe interplay between the applied voltage, sample condition, and the liposome'sproperties to maximize separation efficiency.
- Data analysis: Analysingthe output of the experiment and checking with the hypothesis.
- Synthesis &Characterization: Preparing liposome samples with controlled variations inchemical loading (e.g., different drug mimics or salt concentrations).
This position is ideal for a student looking to gain amultidisciplinary skillset highly valued in both academia and the biotechindustry. You will move beyond simple observation to rigorous quantitativeanalysis. Skills you will learn:
- Lab Skills: Liposomeextrusion, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and fluorescence microscopy.
- Data Analysis: Imageprocessing (e.g., ImageJ/Python) to investigate and analyzing the region ofinterest (ROI) and making sense of the experimental data.
- Academic Output: This is aresearch-intensive project designed to generate novel results. High-qualitydata produced during this thesis will contribute directly to ongoing PhDresearch, with a strong possibility of co-authorship in a peer-reviewed journalarticle.
[1] Sercombe, Lisa, et al."Advances and challenges of liposome assisted drug delivery." Frontiersin pharmacology 6 (2015): 286.
[2] Pethig, Ronald."Dielectrophoresis: Status of the theory, technology, andapplications." Biomicrofluidics 4.2 (2010).
[3] Green, Nicolas G., and HywelMorgan. "Dielectrophoretic investigations of sub-micrometre latexspheres." Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 30.18(1997): 2626.
[4] Adekanmbi, Ezekiel O., andSoumya K. Srivastava. "Dielectric characterization of bioparticles viaelectrokinetics: The past, present, and the future." AppliedPhysics Reviews 6.4 (2019).
[5] Voldman, Joel."Electrical forces for microscale cell manipulation." Annu.Rev. Biomed. Eng. 8.1 (2006): 425-454.
Type of internship: Master internship, Bachelor internship
Duration: 6 months
Required educational background: Bioscience Engineering, Electrotechnics/Electrical Engineering, Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, Physics, Chemistry/Chemical Engineering
University promotor: Liesbet Lagae (KU Leuven)
Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact Ehsan Mohammadi (< email deleted for security reasons >)
The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-059. Mention this reference code in your application.
Imec allowance will be provided for students studying at a non-Belgian university.
Applications should include the following information:
- resume
- motivation
- current study
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
