Microneedles for drug delivery and rapid diagnostic applications in the skin

"Microneedles are microscopic biomedical devices that can penetrate the skin superficially without causing pain or bleeding. Microneedles can be used to deliver drugs into/across the skin or for analysing the skin environment for disease detection. We have recently demonstrated that our prototype technology can detect antigens in the skin within a few hours without removing any biological tissue (e.g. blood or skin biopsy) [1]. This has immense potential for rapid diagnostics of skin diseases such as cancer and infections.

This joint research project between University of Reading and University of Brighton focuses on the development of microneedle devices for drug delivery and bioanalytical applications. The PhD project will include (1) design, fabrication and characterisation of microneedle devices; (2) in vitro studies of drug release from the devices or diagnostics efficiency; (3) toxicological assessment of the microneedle systems; and (4) in vivo evaluation of the devices developed.

The successful candidate will be joining an interdisciplinary team, and work in a dynamic and collaborative environment with access to unique research support infrastructure and state-of-the-art equipment at the University of Reading and University of Brighton.