or
Continue with FacebookLooking to list your PhD opportunities? Log in here.
Dr F Greco, Prof H Osborn
Applications accepted all year round
Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Reading
United Kingdom
Cancer Biology
Cell Biology
Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Polymer Chemistry
Synthetic Chemistry
About the Project
Polymer anticancer-drug conjugates are drug delivery systems in which a low molecular weight anticancer agent is covalently conjugated to a water-soluble polymeric carrier. Their main advantages compared to the parent free drug are: (i) passive accumulation in the tumour tissue by means of the well-described enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, (ii) decreased toxicity, (iii) increased solubility (anticancer drugs are usually poorly water-soluble), (iv) bypassing of certain mechanisms of drug resistance such as P-glycoprotein mediated resistance. Following accumulation in the tumour tissue, polymer-drug conjugates are internalised into tumour cells by endocytosis and trafficked to the lysosomal compartment. In the lysosomes, the linker is cleaved in response to environmental stimuli (usually low pH or peptidases such as cathepsin B) and the drug is released.
This programme aims to develop new polymer-drug conjugates for the treatment of a range of cancers. In particular, the incorporation of drug-polymer linkers that are sensitive to enzymes within a range of tumours will be probed to potentially prepare prodrugs for cancer. These polymeric prodrugs should be inactive until they reach the enzyme required for drug release, and since the enzymes will be specific to tumours, selective delivery should result. This approach will present an important advantage compared to traditional polymer anticancer drug conjugates. Whilst the selectivity of the latter relies only on the EPR effect, the proposed system will display a double targeting mechanism: the EPR effect followed by specific activation in the tumour tissue.
The project is highly interdisciplinary and involves a collaboration between Med Chem (Prof Osborn) and Pharmaceutics (Greco)
This programme aims to develop new polymer-drug conjugates for the treatment of a range of cancers. In particular, the incorporation of drug-polymer linkers that are sensitive to enzymes within a range of tumours will be probed to potentially prepare prodrugs for cancer. These polymeric prodrugs should be inactive until they reach the enzyme required for drug release, and since the enzymes will be specific to tumours, selective delivery should result. This approach will present an important advantage compared to traditional polymer anticancer drug conjugates. Whilst the selectivity of the latter relies only on the EPR effect, the proposed system will display a double targeting mechanism: the EPR effect followed by specific activation in the tumour tissue.
The project is highly interdisciplinary and involves a collaboration between Med Chem (Prof Osborn) and Pharmaceutics (Greco)
Funding Notes
Applicants should hold, or expect to shortly gain, a 2(i) or better degree in a related discipline
How good is research at University of Reading in Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy?
Research output data provided by the Research Excellence Framework (REF)
Click here to see the results for all UK universitiesRegister your interest for this project
The university will respond to you directly. You will have a FindAPhD account to view your sent enquiries and receive email alerts with new PhD opportunities and guidance to help you choose the right programme.
It looks like you alredy have a FindAPhD Account
Log in to save time sending your enquiry and view previously sent enquiries
* required field
The information you submit to University of Reading will only be used by them or their data partners to deal with your enquiry, according to their privacy notice. For more information on how we use and store your data, please read our privacy statement.
Where will I study?
Search suggestions
Based on your current searches we recommend the following search filters.
Check out our other PhDs in Reading, United Kingdom
Start a New search with our database of over 4,000 PhDs
PhD suggestions
Based on your current search criteria we thought you might be interested in these.
Cancer biology: identification of new treatment options for EML4-ALK driven lung cancer through understanding mechanisms of cell division and migration.
University of Leicester
Developing biodegradable long acting drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic conditions
Queen’s University Belfast
Developing a new therapeutic strategy for brain cancers: getting therapeutics directly to the tumour
Cardiff University