Dr C Cao, Dr H Zhou
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Background and significance of research
Superbug” bacteria (Pseudomonas, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumonia) carrying genes that direct production of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-1) or VIM-2 carbapenemase enzyme are extremely dangerous and threatening a new global pandemic. These bacteria are resistant to carbapenems and β-lactam which are one of the world’s last few remaining effective antibiotics. The antibiotic resistance is easily spread through people who acquired it accidentally in a hospital, from water, or from food that is contaminated with the superbugs. Particularly, contamination of the superbugs in seafood, a type of food that we tend to undercook and sometimes eat raw, just increases the risk of disease infection and transmission.
To tackle the pressing global health problem, we will develop a portable detection platform that can provide a specific and ultra-sensitive analysis of the antibiotic resistance in seafood. The platform can be easily operated by seafood farmers, manufacturers, importers, or retailers to monitor the presence of any superbug bacteria in their seafood farm, manufacturing chain, or imported products. The objectives are to develop an innovative sensing technology based on enzyme-amplified aggregation of plasmonic nanoparticles to produce a distinct colour signal that can be processed by a handheld image processing devices such as mobile phone or tablet PC. The novel platform will be evaluated and implemented in the detection of conserved sequence regions of the antimicrobial resistance genes. Once successfully developed, the device can be used as a detection and management tool for the antibiotic resistance surveillance and intervention in point-of-care or in peripheral laboratories. I
Funding Notes
This research project is in competition for funding with other projects offered by the School. The projects which receive the best applicants will be awarded funding from DEL (Department for Employment and Learning). If you are resident in the UK or elsewhere in the EU, it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you refer to the terms and conditions of DEL postgraduate studentships (http://go.qub.ac.uk/delterms) to ascertain whether you are eligible for a studentship covering fees and maintenance or a studentship covering fees only. Please note that non-EU residents are NOT ELIGIBLE for DEL studentships.
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