A grant of nearly SEK 10 million from the Knowledge Foundation allows researchers at Karlstad University to launch a new research project dedicated to the contribution of modern digitisation technology to pharmaceutical quality assurance and development. The accelerated rate of development of Covid-19 vaccines has raised the demand to speed up the development process for other pharmaceuticals. This research will help make pharmaceutical development quicker and more cost-efficient.
The Karlstad University research group will study the possible use of modern digitisation technology in the quality assurance and development of oligonucleotides — bioinspired molecules that play a role in the next generation of pharmaceuticals. The project will be based on excellence in separation science, high resolution biosensor technology, and machine learning and will investigate how modern digitisation technology can speed up the development of new quality assurance methods.
“We are very pleased about the grant and excited to start the project with our corporate partners”, says Torgny Fornstedt, professor of Analytical Chemistry at Karlstad University and research project director. “We hope that the Knowledge Foundation grant will help us become an important player on the national stage. Synthesised oligonucleotides are a somewhat neglected area in the government’s biopharmaceuticals initiative. However, the synthesis, purification, and quality assurance of this type of pharmaceutical is the new major challenge faced by the pharmaceutical industry.”
“The new technology that our research will contribute to will allow for faster and more cost-efficient pharmaceutical development without compromising on quality”, says Torgny Fornstedt.
Research in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry
Karlstad University’s partners are Agilent Technologies Sweden, Bio-Works Technologies, Cytiva, Scandinavian Gene Synthesis, and Astra Zeneca. The project will run from this autumn until 31 December 2024. The nearly SEK 10 million grant from the Knowledge Foundation and including co-funding from the University take the project revenue close to 20 million.
Comprehensive and interdisciplinary collaboration is ensured at Karlstad University through the inclusion of the Analytical Chemistry research group in the research environment of Pro2BE, Processes and Products for a Circular Bioeconomy, and cooperation with Computer Science and CTF, the Service Research Centre.
For more information, please contact Torgny Fornstedt, professor of Analytical Chemistry at Karlstad University, at +46 73271 28 90 or torgny.fornstedt@kau.se
