Controlled Drug Release from Bioactive Scaffolds for Wound Healing Applications

Both acute and chronic wounds are susceptible to infection, and treatment often involves the systemic delivery of large doses of antibiotics. This approach can lead to unwanted side effects and the emergence of resistant bacteria. Controlled drug delivery systems are able to release drugs locally over extended periods of time, thus removing the need for repeated systemic doses. This project aims to utilize expertise in biomaterials science and controlled drug delivery systems to develop wound dressings that not only kill resident bacteria, but also integrate with the patient’s own tissue and promote natural healing mechanisms.

This project will provide training in biomaterials, cell biology and microbiology, with techniques likely to include cell culture, biomaterial scaffold formation, UV/vis spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, light and fluorescence microscopy, metabolic assays, bacterial growth assays and scanning electron microscopy.