Dr Efrosyni Themistou, Dr Panagiotis Manesiotis
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
About the Project
Polymeric nanomaterials can find a variety of biomedical applications, especially in the context of drug/DNA delivery for treating various diseases. Since the currently used formulations suffer from toxicity and inflammation issues, choosing biocompatible polymers and developing biologically-friendly polymerisation procedures that can produce highly biocompatible non-cytotoxic polymers, is crucial for these applications. The project will involve the use of advanced biologically-friendly polymerisation techniques for producing a series of novel biocompatible polymers with well-defined structures. These polymers will be used for producing a range of novel nanoparticle formulations for the treatment of various diseases, such as cancer and genetic disorders. The student will receive training in polymer synthetic procedures, functionalisation of polymers with biologically-relevant molecules, polymer self-assembly methods as well as polymer characterisation techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The polymeric nanoparticle formulations will be examined for their biocompatibility using various biological assays, their cellular uptake using confocal microscopy, as well as their encapsulation efficiency and drug release using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), fluorescence and ultraviolet (UV) measurements.
How to apply:
Applications must be submitted via the University’s online applications portal: http://go.qub.ac.uk/pgapply. Only applications submitted via the portal will be accepted.
Applications must be completed by the deadline i.e. the application and all the required supporting documentation must be uploaded to the portal.
Funding Notes
Applications are requested from UK students who have at least a 2.1 Hons degree (or equivalent) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Biomedical Science or a closely related subject and a strong interest and motivation in pursuing research in polymeric biomaterials. Candidates with a 2.2 honours degree and a suitable MSc may also be considered. A full stipend is available for 3 years (£14,296 per annum) together with the associated fees. The project will be undertaken under the supervision of Dr Efrosyni Themistou, Dr Panagiotis Manesiotis and Dr James Burrows (School of Pharmacy).
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