Research Themes: Bioengineering and Human factors.

When we are injured, suffer disease or get older, our organs and tissues become damaged and dysfunctional. To try and promote the regeneration of our tissues, we are trying to deliver drugs to specific cells and tissues after injury. We aim to do this by designing tiny nanoparticles – just 1/1000th the width of a single human hair in diameter – that can carry a variety of proteins and compounds. 

Because fracture is associated with inflammation and damaged vasculature, nanoparticles preferentially accumulate during precise temporal windows post-injury. This allows us to avoid potentially detrimental or harmful effects of non-specific drug stimulation, as well as providing a method of locally elevating the concentration of such factors. We believe that nanoparticles, such as liposomes, or polymersomes represent excellent delivery vehicles for achieving this aim.

In this project you will determine the nature and degree of association of a series of candidate molecules with liposomal and polymeric nanoparticles using techniques in spectroscopy. Secondly you establish the degree of uptake of nanoparticles in the mixed cellular milieu found at injury sites, particularly with regard to macrophage clearance and relative dosage to target cells (MSCs) vs non-target cells (macrophages) using techniques in microfluidics and imaging cytometry. Finally, our third aim is to determine the temporal physiological tissue distribution of nanoparticles during normal physiology and during fracture repair, both at the injury site and at other sites nanoparticles are known to accumulate, like the liver and spleen.

This project is an exciting opportunity to work at the interface of biology, chemistry and engineering and you will benefit from a broad range of techniques in a multidisciplinary research environment.

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Nick Evans, Bioengineering Sciences research group, Email: n.d.evans<στο>soton.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0) 2380 77 7222 ext 3293.