Dr Martin Stolz
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
About the Project
We aim to develop nanotechnology tools for real-time health care diagnostics to improve diagnostics of osteoarthritis and cancer. Based on the indentation-type atomic force microscopy (IT-AFM) technology that my team and I developed over the last 20 years, we are now taking the next steps by targeting different health applications with connection to digitization and the Internet of Things (IoT). A first application of the IT-AFM technology is the development of osteoarthritis (OA) drugs to drastically reduce the need of knee and hip joint implants. There are no OA drugs, because there are no sensitive tools to detect the structure-modifying effects of substances in articular cartilage in animal testing and in patients. A drug that could delay the time to surgery by only one year would be a huge market.
As a second application, the IT-AFM technology may be employed to quickly decide if a tumor is malignant or benign. In such scenario, a tumor biopsy is taken in the operation theatre and placed into the desktop analysis tool. Digital data is exchanged real-time with a reference laboratory that can quickly evaluate if a biopsy is malignant or benign. The IT-AFM technology may improve cancer diagnostics and prognosis and contribute to the development of personalized therapies. Such progress in medicine would save money and time and provide the surgeon with information for instant informed clinical decision making. The IT-AFM technology is scalable and can be expanded to a variety of biomedical and technical applications including the development of custom-made commercial products for specialized applications.
We have developed the IT-AFM technology and published it in three landmark papers including an article in Nature Nanotechnology (doi: 10.1038/NNANO.2008.410). We are currently evaluating different possible collaborations with our local partners and partners worldwide to find the best match for this work. Depending on the collaboration and in agreement with our partners and the student´s abilities, we will then best match the Ph.D. student to our team.
Applicants should have a strong interest in biomedical engineering and interdisciplinary team work. Ideally the candidate should have a technical background and some experience in biomedicine, nanotechnology. It is planned to start the project in 2018, preferably no later than October.
If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Martin Stolz, National Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS), University of Southampton. Email: [Email Address Removed].
Funding Notes
This project is in competition with others for funding; the projects which receive the best applicants will be awarded a full studentship. This 3 year studentship covers home-rate tuition fees and provides an annual tax-free stipend at the standard EPSRC rate, which is £14,777 for 2018/19.
The funding is only available to UK citizens or EU citizens who have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the studentship and not mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education. For further guidance on funding, please contact [Email Address Removed]
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