Most drugs are delivered either as tablets or by injection. However, these routes present significant drawbacks. Many drugs are inactivated by the liver and injection causes anxiety, discomfort and requires professional administration. Drug delivery across the skin has many advantages such as avoidance of the liver and easy/painless administration, improving compliance rates. The tissue lining the mouth is vastly more permeable than skin making it a superior target for systemic drug delivery. Although there is much interest in this mode of delivery, significant obstacles remain for the development of formulations that are able to adhere and deliver drugs through the oral epithelium to reach the bloodstream.
Electrospinning is a highly versatile fibre and membrane manufacturing method that creates a material with high porosity and surface area. The ability to fine-tune the physical structure and biological functionality of the resulting structures, which cannot easily be achieved with other conventional manufacturing techniques, has created much interest in the technique for drug delivery. The current state of the field for drug delivery suggests a need for in situ fibre patterning strategies with more versatility in terms of material and pattern complexity. One such approach is the development of microneedles, which have been used on skin to enhance drug delivery. The structures work by disrupting the epithelial barrier layer by creating micron-sized pathways that enable drug delivery through the tissue and directly into the systemic circulation. To date there is only one recent report in the literature of electrospun microneedles and none that have been developed for use within the oral cavity.
We have recently developed an electrospun mucoadhesive patch that binds tightly to oral tissues, although, so far it has only been designed for local drug delivery to diseased oral tissue. Using advanced micro-patterning techniques; this project aims to incorporate dissolving microneedles into our electrospun mucoadhesive patches to aid the permeation of drugs across the oral mucosa into the bloodstream, removing the need for injection or tablets.
This highly translational project will use polymer chemistry and manufacturing processes to optimise micro-patterning techniques. Solution properties will be studied using rheometry and membranes characterised using differential thermal analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Drug incorporation and release profiles in artificial saliva and advanced tissue-engineered in vitro mucosal models will be used to investigate the release and penetration of the drug from the micro-patterned patches through the oral mucosa over time. Finally, the biofunctional activity of the drugs will be assessed using a range of cell-based functional assays.
This project will provide the student with training in biomaterials and tissue-engineering to equip them for a career in multidisciplinary research whilst underpinning the development of innovative drug delivery technologies.
Funding:
This studentship will be 42 months in duration and include home fee and stipend at UKRI rate. EU/Overseas candidates are welcome to apply, however they would be required to fund the fee difference.
Entry Requirements:
Candidates must have a first or upper second class honors degree or significant research experience.
How to apply:
Please complete a University Postgraduate Research Application form available here: www.shef.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply
Please clearly state the prospective main supervisor in the respective box and select Clinical Dentistry as the department. Please also state your first and second choice project by entering the project tiles in the 'Research Topic' box on your application.
Enquiries:
Interested candidates should in the first instance contact Dr Helen Colley, [Email Address Removed]
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