Master's Thesis: Predictive Segment-Based In Vitro Release Testing of Long-Acting Vaginal Rings

Are you passionate about science, technology, and innovation? At QPharma, we offer exciting thesis opportunities for students who want to apply their academic knowledge to real-world challenges within pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Whether your interests lie in research, engineering, or process development, our thesis projects offer an opportunity to explore new ideas, gain valuable industry experience, and contribute to the development of future pharmaceutical solutions.

QPharma, is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for pharmaceutical products. With a strong focus on innovation and continuous development, we are always looking for new perspectives and ideas to help shape the future of pharmaceutical development.

Background

Polymeric drug delivery systems such as vaginal rings provide controlled release of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) over extended periods and are increasingly used in long-acting therapies. Development of these products relies heavily on in vitro release (IVR) testing to characterize release kinetics and support formulation and process development.

Conventional IVR methods are typically performed using whole rings incubated in large volumes of release media under controlled conditions. While these methods provide valuable information, they are often resource-intensive, require large amounts of materials and media, and offer limited flexibility for screening studies. Automated release testing platforms have become increasingly common in pharmaceutical development and offer precise control of experimental conditions, including media exchange, temperature regulation, and sampling. While primarily designed for other dosage forms, these systems may provide an opportunity to establish innovative testing strategies for polymeric vaginal rings. By utilizing smaller test specimens such as ring segments, it may be possible to reduce material and media consumption, increase experimental throughput, and support more sustainable and flexible IVR testing approaches

A key question is whether representative release profiles can be obtained using ring segments instead of entire devices. Establishing a predictive relationship between segment-based and whole-ring testing could provide greater flexibility in experimental design, facilitate accelerated studies, and increase throughput during product development.

This thesis aims to investigate the feasibility of miniaturized IVR testing of polymeric vaginal rings and evaluate whether release data generated from ring segments can be used to predict the performance of complete devices.

Objectives

Literature Review

· Review common IVR methodologies for polymeric drug delivery systems.

· Summarize approaches used for scaling and miniaturization of release testing.

· Identify key factors influencing release kinetics from reservoir and matrix-type vaginal rings.

Method Evaluation and Development

· Compare release profiles obtained from whole rings and ring segments.

· Assess the suitability of automated release testing systems for IVR studies.

· Identify critical parameters affecting comparability between test configurations.

Impact of Experimental Conditions

· Investigate the influence of segment size and geometry on drug release profiles.

· Study the effect of temperature and media volume on release kinetics.

· Evaluate opportunities for shortened or accelerated IVR studies.

Experimental Assessment

· Design and execute IVR studies using both conventional and automated test systems.

· Generate release profiles from whole rings and selected ring segments.

· Analyze release data using appropriate kinetic models and statistical approaches.

· Establish correlations between release performance obtained using different test configurations.

Data Integration and Interpretation

· Evaluate the predictability of segment-based testing for whole-ring performance.

· Identify advantages and limitations of miniaturized IVR methodologies.

· Provide recommendations for future implementation of automated release testing within polymer-based drug delivery development.

Expected Outcome

1. A systematic evaluation of segment-based IVR testing for polymeric vaginal rings.

2. Practical recommendations for implementation of automated release testing methodologies, including sample size, test conditions, and study design.

3. Enhanced understanding of the relationship between release kinetics obtained from ring segments and whole devices, supporting more efficient development of rings, implants, and other long-acting polymer-based drug delivery systems.tems.

How to apply:

Does this thesis project sound interesting to you? We would love to hear from you! If you are curious, motivated, and eager to put your knowledge into practice, we encourage you to submit your application by December 20, 2026

Join us at SEVER Pharma Solutions and get the opportunity to explore real-world challenges within pharmaceutical development. We offer an inspiring and collaborative environment where new ideas, knowledge, and innovation come together to shape the future of pharmaceutical solutions.

Contact Person

Anders Wall, Principal Analytical Scientist

Anders.wall@qpharma.com

Mobile: 040 36 18 30