Design of a nanomedicine able to halt the progression of emphysema in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. The disease is triggered by chronic exposure of the respiratory mucosa to noxious fumes. Accumulation of activated neutrophils in the airways, particularly during exacerbations, results in excessive secretion of active proteases, thereby causing lung matrix destruction and inflammation. The dual effects of emphysematous parenchymal destruction and airway abnormalities generate expiratory flow obstruction and the progressive and irreversible loss of respiratory function. The current treatment in COPD aims at minimizing symptoms and at reducing exacerbations but does not directly address the excess of proteases causing the permanent lung damages. This project precisely aims to address this need by designing a multimeric antibody construct able to inhibit neutrophil elastase, the main protease involved in lung damages, to localize specifically to the inflamed lung parenchyma and thereby to protect the extracellular lung matrix against further destruction during exacerbation episodes. The project work packages will include the generation and selection of an antibody targeting the inflamed lung parenchyma, its format optimization and genetic fusion to an antibody fragment inhibiting neutrophil elastase activity, and the assessment of the biodistribution and therapeutic efficacy of the bi-specific antibody construct in the murine model of cigarette-smoke induced airway inflammation.

The project will be conducted in close collaboration between two academic research teams located in Brussels:

• Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, ADDB (Prof. Rita Vanbever)
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Molecular Imaging and Therapy (Prof. Nick Devoogdt)

The aim of the research of the Advanced Drug Delivery & Biomaterials (ADDB) laboratory at the Louvain Drug Research Institute (LDRI) of UCLouvain (Brussels, Belgium) is to develop new drug delivery systems for unmet medical and pharmaceutical needs that address two main challenges for the pharmaceutical industry, namely the delivery of i) biotech-based drugs (proteins, vaccines, nucleic acids) and ii) poorly water-soluble drugs. After the definition of an unmet need, a hypothesis or mechanism‐driven approach is used to design new drug delivery systems. A proof of concept is provided. The scientific approach is multidisciplinary and mechanistic-driven. Within the ADDB laboratory, Rita Vanbever has developed a research theme on drug delivery to the lungs. She has a long-lasting experience in the design of nanomedicines for inhalation and in respiratory diseases. Her research aims at improving properties of therapeutic proteins such as stability, half-life and biodistribution by conjugation to polymers or through the design of multimeric constructs.

The Molecular Imaging and Therapy (MITH) research group (https://mith.research.vub.be), headed by Prof Nick Devoogdt, is located at the VUB health campus in Jette. This team (>40 investigators) consists of (radio)pharmacists, medical doctors, (bio)engineers & molecular biologists, and specializes in the development, preclinical testing and clinical studies with sdAb-based diagnostic and therapeutic compounds for medical applications. It is particularly renowned for its translational research and the creation of the spinoff companies PRECIRIX and ABSCINT that valorize clinical development of radiolabeled sdAbs. MITH has infrastructure to generate and biophysically characterize new sdAbs, a protein unit to produce and purify sdAb-derivatives, a (radio)chemistry unit to label them, an imaging core facility for small animal imaging, including SPECT, PET and optical imaging. The most recent development is the VDU unit to produce sdAb proteins at high scales at GMP quality for clinical testing.

Position details

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join this innovative project.

The position offers:

• Duration: 4 years of financial support
• Start date: From October 2026 (conditional upon fellowship granting)
• Application deadline: February 17, 2026 (FNRS call)

Eligibility criteria: Candidates must hold a master degree in pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical sciences, bioengineering, molecular biology, or a related discipline, awarded between February 20, 2023 and September, 2026.

Candidate profile: We are looking for a candidate with:

High grades at his/her Master and Bachelor degrees and ranked in the top 10% of his/her promotion

Keen interest in disease therapies with biologics, molecular biology, recombinant protein production and analysis

Strong ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative team environment

Work languages include English, French (optional) and Dutch (optional).