Elizabeth M. Topp is a Professor in the Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware (B.Ch.E.), a master’s in chemical and biochemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania (M.E.) and a Ph.D. in pharmaceutics from the University of Michigan. Dr. Topp’s research addresses the chemical and physical stability of protein drugs, with particular emphasis on lyophilized solids. She is a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. With Dr. Alina Alexeenko of Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, she co-founded and co-directs LyoHUB, an industry-led consortium to advance lyophilization technology.
Highlights of Accomplishments
- Co-Founder and Co-Director of LyoHUB, an industry-led consortium to advance lyophilization technology (2014-date)
- Department Head, Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, Purdue University (2009-2017)
- Advisory Committee on the Pharmaceutical Sciences, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, (member, 2006-2009 and chair, 2009-2016)
- Chief Scientific Officer, National Institute of Bioprocessing Research and Training, Dublin, Ireland (2019-date)
- With her research group, developed solid-state hydrogen deuterium exchange with mass spectrometry (ssHDX- MS), a novel analytical method to measure protein structure and matrix interactions in lyophilized solids with high resolution
- With her research group and collaborators, invented novel phosphorylated derivatives of glucagon that enhance solubility and inhibit fibrillation in vitro