Health | Scholarship for Nigerians and Africans - Part 4

Engineers Required for BBSRC PhD Studentship – Postgraduate Position for Study Towards PhD: controlled crystal formation within simple and complex pharmaceutical systems, process efficiency, monitoring and control.

The formulation team within Aston have a strong background in the reformulation of medicines and application of genomic technologies such as microarrays to further understand the performance of these medicines in vitro. We are seeking to formalise Pharmaceutical Engineering skills within a team of pharmaceutical scientists to build on our knowledge of Process Analytical Technology. Combining your skills from a background in engineering we will look at mechanical and electronic devices to monitor and control the process of freeze drying.

Biopharma Technology Ltd. (BTL) is an independent company based in Winchester, Hampshire, specialising in providing contract R&D in the field of freeze-drying, chiefly to the pharmaceutical, vaccine and diagnostics sectors. In the past 11 years, it has worked on more than 700 different materials for over 300 clients worldwide. BTL has also developed two analytical instruments that provide critical information about a material prior to freeze-drying; this information enables the user to understand whether the material can be processed without further amendment (e.g. reformulation) and what conditions should be employed in order to achieve a stable freeze-dried product. The company is now looking to develop technologies that enable the process to be monitored real-time and in situ, which should ultimately lead to more efficient drying and fewer issues in scaling the process up to the industrial manufacturing level.

The project, due to commence in October 2011, will investigate the application of Process Analytical Technology to monitoring and controlling the freeze drying process. The project will also aim to work towards developing engineering solutions that will enable more successful and efficient processing and better dry state storage stability for a wide variety of biologicals including enzyme and cell systems.

In the 2008 RAE, the Drug Delivery group forming part of the Aston University Allied Healthcare and Professions submission which was ranked 3rd in the UK, based on volume of research given a 3* or 4* rating (internationally excellent and world-leading), out of 61 institutional submissions – underlining our research excellence.

Financial Support
The studentship comprises of a BBSRC maintenance stipend for the student (currently £16,090 per annum tax free) and payment of Home/EU tuition fees.
The studentship is available for four years under the BBSRC funding model, subject to a satisfactory progress review at the end of the first year, and is available for October 1st 2011 registration.

For informal enquiries please contact Dr Andrew Ingham E-mail: ( a.j.ingham-at-aston.ac.uk)

Scholarship Application Deadline:31 May 2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application

Research Grants by National Institutes of Health 2011, USA: Translation of Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies for Blood Diseases

This FOA issued by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, encourages Research Project Grant (R01) applications from institutions and organizations that propose collaborative, multidisciplinary, multi-Project Director/Principal Investigator research for the development of new technologies needed to utilize stem cells in future cell therapies to treat sickle cell disease and other blood disorders. This initiative focuses on two key areas that are impediments to further progress: (1) development of techniques to efficiently generate hematopoietic cells by either differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (PSC) or by cellular reprogramming to yield sufficient numbers of GMP quality cells for clinical evaluation; and (2) development of protocols that enable the efficient engraftment of hematopoietic cells derived from pluripotent stem cells or derived by cellular reprogramming. Each multidisciplinary application will designate two or more Project Directors/Principal Investigators. This program will be implemented in collaboration with the ongoing NHLBI Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium and will add separate additional research projects. Extensive collaboration is expected between the existing Consortium Hubs, and the new group(s) are also expected to collaborate extensively with the Consortium Hubs.

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Scholarship Application Deadline:September 5, 2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application

2011 Rolex Awards for Enterprise in Research Projects: Science and health; applied technology; exploration and discovery; the environment; and cultural heritage.

The next Rolex Awards for Enterprise will be presented in 2012 to five new Laureates for their projects that demonstrate innovative thought and benefit the world we live in. For their new ventures or completion of ongoing projects, each Laureate receives US$100,000, a Rolex chronometer, and the benefits of international publicity.The Rolex Awards are open to any individual of any age, with a concrete working project. Proposals may be submitted in almost any area of activity, including science and health; applied technology; exploration and discovery; the environment; and cultural heritage.

To apply, after reading the Useful Documents, create an account and fill out a pre-application form. You will have one month, from the moment your account is created, to complete the pre-application form in English.

Scholarship Application Deadline: 31 May 2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application