Michal Sowa

MatSci Expert - Freeze-Drying & Oligonucleotides (Associate Director)

Weil am Rhein, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

About

Experience

  • Materials Science Project Lead - Oligonucleotides - Freeze-drying & DS/DP Properties at Novartis
    Feb 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 6 mos

    Contributing as subject matter expert across all development phases to internal and external project deliverables under the responsibility and/or accountability of Pharmaceutical Development - Materials Science unit. Overseeing freeze-drying as DS and DP unit operations, focus on oligonucleotides isolation. Co-leading the Novartis-wide Technology Focus Group Lyophilisation. Driving routine and exploratory characterisation of solid- and liquid-state properties of oligonucleotides. Providing independent scientific drive in projects and ensure oversight of all Materials Science create and supply development activities that are being performed to support the development for timely delivery of drug substances aligned with drug product needs, pharmaceutical intermediates and drug products. Selecting and optimising appropriate solid form of an active pharmaceutical ingredient, particle and powder properties, which are ultimately fit-for-purpose for both drug substance and drug product, with due consideration of the development phase of the product. Particle Engineering and Materials Science Project Leader roles.

  • Bayer Pharmaceuticals (9 yrs 8 mos)
    • Head of Laboratory - Crystallization Scale up
      Oct 2019 - Feb 2024 · 4 yrs 5 mos

      - Development and/or optimization of crystallization processes for early and late stage drug candidates (target solid-state form, processability, transfer to pilot and production scale) - Planning, coordination and execution of crystallization experiments, including solid-state characterization (XRPD, DSC, TGA, ...) - Coordination of polymorphism screenings (solid-state form selection, IP, interface to formulation development) - Driving innovation topics, including PAT applications (lab- and pilot-scales), amorphous solid dispersions - Management of a laboratory, including personnel management (team of two)

    • Crystallization Expert
      Jul 2016 - Sep 2019 · 3 yrs 3 mos

      Development and optimization of chemical processes to generate benefits in terms of yield, quality, cost, patentability and safety. Contribution to product transfers from laboratory scale to production scale. Ensuring competitiveness by evaluating and applying state-of-the-art and future chemical technologies. - Management of a laboratory with up to 5 technical collaborators - Execution and coordination of crystallization experiments and/or studies, ealry stage to production scale + Development - i.a. crystal habit / particle engineering oriented + Optimization - yield, purity, ... + Troubleshooting - (pseudo)polymorphism, agglomeration, filtration & drying performance + Application of PAT tools - Contribution to / management of interdisciplinary projects + Amorphous solid dispersions - screening platforms, characterization techniques, stability prediction + Cocrystallization to improve product performance + Deep eutectic mixtures + Crystallization of otherwise difficult to crystallize substances

    • Crystallization Expert
      Aug 2015 - Jun 2016 · 11 mos

      Development and optimization of chemical processes to generate benefits in terms of yield, quality, cost, patentability and safety. Contribution to product transfers from laboratory scale to production scale. Ensuring competitiveness by evaluating and applying state-of-the-art and future chemical technologies.

  • Wroclaw University of Technology (4 yrs 1 mo)
    • PhD Student
      Oct 2010 - Oct 2014 · 4 yrs 1 mo

      Flavonoid cocrystallization with an aim of overcoming unfavorable aqueous solubility. Screening for cocrystalline phases via solvent-drop grinding, supported with XRPD and FT-Raman analyses. Solution-evaporation and solution mediated phase transformation syntheses of cocrystals. X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis, 1H NMR, TG-DTA, Hirshfeld surface analysis and apparent solubility determination of obtained cocrystalline phases.

    • Head of a research project: "Pharmaceutical cocrystals of flavonoids - solubility determination"
      Oct 2013 - Jun 2014 · 9 mos

      Head of a funded research project, aimed at conducting solubility studies on flavonoid cocrystals. - Distribution of finances - Workflow coordination - Mapping out scale-up procedures for flavonoid cocrystals via slurrying technique (XRPD & FT-Raman phase identification) - Conducting apparent solubility experiments with use of "shake-flask method" - Results interpretation, presentation & publication

  • Intern at DM - Laboratorium Analiz Środowiskowych
    Jul 2009 - Jul 2009 · 1 mo

    Environmental samples - HPLC, LC, GC(ECD, FID), GC-MS, CVAAS, GFAAS. Soil & water samples - pH, conductivity, moisture, aggresiveness PCA procedures.

  • Intern at LabAnalityka sp. z o.o.
    Jul 2008 - Jul 2008 · 1 mo

    Chromatography Laboratory - GC & HPLC analysis of environmental samples - chlorine VOCs; other volatile industrial contaminants; PCA (Polish Centre for Accreditation) procedures. General Analytics Laboratory - Sewage samples - BOD; common analytes. Environmental Laboratory - Industrial gas and dust sampling.