Almost everyone has been familiar with the term mRNA vaccine since the coronavirus pandemic. The mRNA serves as a "blueprint" from which antibodies are subsequently produced in the body. However, the mRNA is so sensitive that it would be directly degraded in the body. It is packaged with excipients, in this case lipids, which our body does not recognise as foreign bodies. The lipids form a protective shell, so to speak, and ensure that the mRNA arrives at its destination and forms antigens with the help of the body's own proteins. These trigger a reaction of the immune system, which in turn leads to the formation of antibodies. I am focussing on these lipids.

The result of my research will be a draft for a monograph that will be published in a pharmacopoeia. Pharmacopoeias are sets of rules that specify how medicines or active ingredients must be tested in order to ensure consistent, standardised quality. Ultimately, monographs affect everyone by protecting the population from falsified medicines and thus increasing therapeutic safety.

Research into new drugs also benefits from this: if there are guidelines for testing certain active ingredients or excipients, these substances can be used more easily in research and development.

The important role that excipients play in formulations. They influence the quality and efficacy of the end product. Of course, the active ingredient, in our case the mRNA, takes centre stage as the carrier of the information. But without suitable excipients, the mRNA could not reach its target.

Today, it is already possible to control very precisely where a drug should act in the body. This opens up many possibilities. Lipid excipients in particular play a major role in current drug formulation and research.

Studying pharmacy really covers many areas and topics. I have always been fascinated by pharmaceutical technology. This also includes the sub-area of formulation, simply put the packaging of the drug substance. In Marburg, the Chair of Pharmaceutical Technology focussed on nanoparticles and liposomes, among other things. This fuelled my interest in these small drug carriers. I found it fascinating how it works that an active ingredient arrives exactly where it is needed. The BfArM's call for applications was a perfect fit.

I like doing my doctorate here at the BfArM. My project is based in the research department. As part of the LabTrain project, there is close cooperation with the unit "Pharmacopoeia" of Division 4. The cooperation between the divisions is good and I have access to many different devices for my monograph work. The many different research specialisms in the division also make the work interesting: laboratory, databases, AI - it's a good mix of everything. The dialogue between colleagues is not only exciting, but also a great source of support because there are many different professional/ specialist backgrounds.

Not an easy question indeed. There is an incredible number of exciting topics and corresponding research personalities. Studying in Marburg brought me closer to Emil von Behring. He lived and worked in the city; the Dean's Office of Pharmacy in Marburg is located in the Behring Villa. He was known for his successes in the field of serology, in which he used antitoxins extracted from blood serum as medicines against diphtheria and tetanus.