Smart Wound Dressings for On-Demand Analgesic and Antimicrobial Therapeutics

Key facts

Deadline - Friday 6 January 2023

Funding start date - Spring 2023 - Sunday 1 October 2023

Number of funding places - 1

Country eligibility - UK only

Source of funding - University of Leeds

Summary

LITAC (Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour) hosted by the School of Design, is offering a highly competitive PhD scholarship consisting of the award of tuition fees and an annual maintenance stipend that matches UKRI rates (17,668 GBP in 2022/23) along with a significant element of training and development expenses also incorporated within the Scholarship package.

Chronic wounds affect two million Britons and cost the NHS 5 billion GBP per annum. They have a major negative impact on patients, since they are recalcitrant and painful, and can lead to digital/limb amputation. Major challenges in chronic wound management include exudate (fluid that leaks out of blood vessels) mismanagement, wound pain, infection rates and antibiotic resistance.

The focus of this PhD will be on experimental research and the manufacture of collagen-based hydrogels to introduce, activate and deliver the analgesic functionality topically for a prolonged period of time. In addition, the use of and exposure to light-emitting devices will be studied as a means to trigger dressing-induced antimicrobial effects, creating an on-demand infection control capability in situ.

To develop an effective patient-friendly smart dressing, the candidate will work closely with clinical wound experts based at The Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust throughout the duration of the project.

Entry requirements

Applicants should have at least a first class or an upper second class British Bachelors Honours degree (or equivalent) in Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering or another appropriate undergraduate or Masters discipline.

English language requirements

The minimum English language entry requirement for research postgraduate research study in the School of Design is an IELTS of 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each component (reading, writing, listening and speaking) or equivalent. The test must be dated within two years of the start date of the course in order to be valid.

Other Conditions:

Applicants must not have already been awarded or be currently studying for a doctoral degree.

Applicants must live within a reasonable distance of the University of Leeds whilst in receipt of this scholarship.

How to apply

Stage 1

First, apply for a research place of study, through the online application form. Please state clearly that the funding you wish to be considered for is ‘LITAC - Smart Wound Dressings for On-Demand Analgesic and Antimicrobial Therapeutics’ with Dr Giuseppe Tronci, Dr Begonya Alcacer-Pitarch, and Prof Francesco Del Galdo as your proposed supervisors. You will be expected to meet our eligibility criteria for PHD candidates.

Once you have received your student ID number (a 9-digit number) move onto stage 2.

Stage 2

Apply for the LITAC Project – ‘Smart Wound Dressings for On-Demand Analgesic and Antimicrobial Therapeutics’ by completing the Scholarship Application Form. You must submit your scholarship application by 17.00 p.m. on Friday the 6th of January 2023.

Contact details

For further information related to the application process please email the Faculty PGR Admissions Team at [Email Address Removed]

For further information related to the project please contact Dr Giuseppe Tronci at [Email Address Removed]