Postgraduate study

Tissue engineering requires the availability of polymer materials that can support cells and the development of tissues. Many synthetic materials are tough, easily fabricated and non-toxic. However, many synthetic materials can illicit immune responses to varying degrees. The best polymers in this respect are hydrogels containing little or no charge but high water content hydrogels are often weak materials and this limits their use. In this project we will bring together a number of aspects of our work in this area. We will use the observation that alkyl amines promote the growth of epithelial tissue, the synthesis of functional polymers using ozonolysis techniques, and the synthesis and cytocompatibility of conetworks.

Our aim will be to produce tough hydrogels based on polyurethanes (some of which will be degradable, with amine functionality for the support of epithelial cells and carboxylic acid groups for the support of other cells). The work will involve novel polymer synthesis, characterisation and cell culture, using techniques established in our laboratories.

Entry requirements

A 2i MChem or MSc in Chemistry or a related subject.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

Growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the major global challenges and it is often linked to the use of unnecessarily high doses of orally administered antibiotics following medical surgeries and infections. With a rise in life expectancy globally the demand for such medical intervention increases, and so does the associated use of antibiotics, increasing the risks of AMR. Reducing the use of antibiotics and the need for revision surgery is a long term challenge, so optimal dosing, duration of therapy and developing alternatives to antibiotics can also be considered as strategies to reduce AMR. In this project we will develop a class of biodegradable hybrid material that can be used to manufacture suture materials and other medical devices, such as patches which can simultaneously store and deliver antibiotics to specific targeted sites. Upon successful development these materials can be also used for delivering anti-inflammatories and nitric oxide in a slow and controlled rate to specific targeted sites.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a versatile class porous materials, developed recently, with very high accessible surface area. The functional groups inside the pores of the MOFs can be modified to interact and store different drug molecules, and this class of materials has shown promising results for drug delivery applications. However, the majority of the MOFs suffer from poor stability. This project will take advantage of this drawback, so that the MOFs will decompose with time together with biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer matrices thus delivering guest drug molecules to targeted sites.

The size of the MOF particles play an important role in delivering the drugs and part of this project will investigate the optimization of the MOF particles for effective penetration of cell walls for delivering the drug across cell membranes.

Both MOFs and PLA/PCL are of interest for drug delivery applications and are the subject of significant levels of research. However, the combination of these two classes of materials offers exciting potential for bioresorbable drug carriers which can be integrated into novel biomedical devices such as implants. This project will explore this highly promising area to develop novel composite materials which can be used to manufacture devices that can deliver antimicrobial drugs locally, without exposing the rest of the body to the drugs unnecessarily. This will reduce the usage of strong non-targeted antibiotics in excess, and therefore, help to reduce the growing problem of AMR which is a global problem recognised by World Health Organization.

The project will focus on identifying appropriate MOFs that can host a number of drugs that are used to treat external and internal bacterial infections. The selected MOFs will be synthesized in the first six months of the project. This part will follow loading of the MOFs using antimicrobial drugs, and in parallel optimization of size of the MOF particles in nanometer range using continuous flow technique (in collaboration with Edinburgh). The student will receive training on required techniques (synthesis, and equipment: X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic techniques, HPLC, UV-Vis, Thermal analysis, electron microscopy). The characterization of the MOFs and drug loading will generate significant amount of data at this phase.

In the following phase, research will focus more on optimization of MOF-size, drug loading, and synthesis of polymer composites.

In the next and final part of the project the focus will be more on drug delivery/release studies, and optimization of polymer-MOF composites. The composites will be then used to develop patches and threads using compress molding and extrusion techniques, and their drug release properties will be studied for potential medical applications.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 in Chemistry or a BSc (Hons)/MSc in Chemistry or an equivalent degree. Synthetic inorganic and organic chemistry skills would be an advantage.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

Nanoscience and technology, which involves the manipulation of materials using the property of size to bring about specific desired changes in the electronic structure of materials, has proven to be a powerful additional tool permitting the materials scientist to effect greater control over the charge transport properties in materials. While this is considered to be an exciting prospect, one of the challenges yet to be overcome is how to manipulate the transport of multicomponent materials (MCMs) at the nanoscale. In order to gain an understanding of how MCMs can be manipulated in order to achieve desirable electronic properties for device manufacture the materials need to be reproducibly made, attached to substrates and their charge carrier transport properties investigated.

This project aims to: (i) intelligently design a number of different semiconductor material combinations and characterise their comparative electronic structure via the optical response of their dilute solutions (ii) manipulate the surface chemistry of the different material architectures with short chained ligands and assess any changes in their electronic structure that result from such attachments (iii) assemble the materials with the appropriate surface chemistry into different device architectures as single non-interacting nano-objects (core, core-shell) and (iv) characterise their optical and optoelectronic properties in device architectures to determine their charge transport efficiency.

Entry requirements

A 2i MChem or MSc in Materials Chemistry or a related subject.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

White-light emission (WLE) from semiconductor nanostructures is presently a research area of intense interest especially where the primary objective is to replace conventional light sources by environmentally friendly materials in order to minimize energy costs and therefore the global energy consumption for lighting. Presently the general methods to achieve white-light emission are either by coating a yellow phosphor or by combining green and red phosphors on a background consisting of a blue light emitting diode (LED) or by employing nanocrystals (NCs) of the three primary colours (red, green, blue) using multilayer structures in LEDs. However, when one simply mixes these nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs) of different colours together to generate white light, the efficiencies are often observed to decrease due to the re-absorption of light and subsequent undesired energy transfer (ET) leading to undesirable changes in the chromaticity coordinates and photometric performance due to the different relative temporal stabilities of the components.

Hence the use of a single-emitting component offers many advantages over multiple component systems for white light-emitting sources such as LEDs, amongst which are: greater reproducibility, low cost preparation, ease of modification and simpler fabrication processes. Therefore, it is of great importance to find high-quality single source white light emitters via low cost chemical synthesis approaches that will allow the production of white light while meeting the needs of industry, such as satisfactory Commission International d’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates and toxicity. In addition the search for non-toxic materials to replace environmentally suspect or damaging species is presently at the top of the research agenda within the European research area. For such a goal to be realized effective alternatives to materials already in use or non-toxic materials that complement and that may be incorporated into present technologies must be sought.

This project aims to:

1. Synthesise high quality white light emitting Cu:Mn-ZnSe doped QDs with greater stability
2. Find successful strategies for the transfer of the doped QDs from the non-polar media in which they are synthesised to a polar (aqueous) medium without hampering their emission profile
3. Study their complex optical properties in order to gain a fuller understanding of the precise processes responsible for the instability of the doped QDs
4. Fabricate solid state thin films from these doped QDs and assess the ensemble effects on their white light emission properties
5. Extend the synthesis technique to develop other types of multiple doped QDs.

Entry requirements

A 2i MChem or MSc in Materials Chemistry or a related subject.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

The oxides of a number of materials are very appealing candidates as substitutes for conventional anodes in lithium-ion batteries because of their high theoretical capacity, high electric conductivity low potential of lithium ion intercalation, as well as superior electron mobilities, with one such material, SnO2 being particularly appealing. For example nanostructured SnO2 materials have attracted wide interest due to their potential for use in a wide variety of applications from gas sensors and photocatalysts to transparent electrodes for energy conversion and energy storage devices.

The wide applicability of nanostructured materials in general arises from their quantum size effect, large surface area and high surface activity. Despite significant progress already made using standard synthetic methods, many potentially interesting oxidic materials are still far from commercialisation. Therefore, it is imperative that new oxidic anode materials with novel architectures are investigated to further the development of commercially viable electrodes with high energy and power densities. Self-assembled hybrid nanoparticles can satisfy many requirements required for energy storage, making them interesting anode materials.

The aim of this project is to:

1. Develop a general approach for the synthesis of a number of crystalline oxide materials of interest for lithium ion storage (SnO2, LiCoO2 and LiMn2O4)
2. Develop the technology to attach multilayers of these materials to conducting substrates
3. Characterise the materials as
   1. monolayers
   2. multilayers within a device architecture
4. Determine the potential of these nanomaterials for their charge storage capacity.

Entry requirements

A 2i MChem or MSc in Materials Chemistry or a related subject.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

Metal-organic frameworks or MOFs are a class of porous materials made of metal ions and rigid organic linkers, which are known as secondary building units or SBUs. Synthesis and study of MOFs is a very hot area of contemporary research because of their potential applications in versatile areas, like gas storage, separation, drug delivery, catalysis, etc. Despite of their high potential in different applications, most of these materials lack stability in aqueous medium. This acts a limiting factor for this highly interesting class of materials.

This project will focus on development of highly stable composite membranes using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and polymers for separation of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide. Selected water-stable MOFs will be identified and used to develop composite membranes followed by their screening for carbon dioxide capture and separation.

During this project the student will be introduced with one of the most topical area of research in chemistry, and will receive intensive training on synthesis of porous MOFs and their polymer composite. The student will also receive intensive training in handling various analytical techniques which includes (but not limited to), X-ray diffraction (PXRD, and SMX), IR, NMR, UV-Vis, TGA, BET-surface area analysis, permeability study etc. The student will be guided to interpret, communicate, and disseminate the results generated from the research project in form of publications and conferences.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 in Chemistry or a BSc (Hons)/MSc in Chemistry or an equivalent degree. Synthetic inorganic and organic chemistry skills would be an advantage.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

Molecule-based magnets are highly interesting with their potential applications in high-density data storage devices and quantum computing.

This project will focus on strategic synthesis and magnetic studies of high nuclearity paramagnetic clusters and networks. Various Schiff-base ligands will be synthesized with additional hydroxyl groups to bridge between different transition metals and lanthanoids. First-row transition metals will be used in combination with different lanthanoids to achieve high ground state spin and magnetic anisotropy. Cluster complexes will be particularly studied for single-molecule magnetism and the coordination polymers will be studied for their magnetocaloric effects. Computational methods will be developed to predict the properties and structures of the magnetically active polynuclear complexes to direct and explain the experimental studies.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 BSc (Hons.), MChem or MSc in Chemistry, or an equivalent degree; knowledge of crystallisation and computational chemistry would be an advantage.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

The creation of complexes between polymeric compounds drives many industrial / biological processes and has been extensively studied in well-defined biological compounds with uniform structures. However such understanding is severely lacking for industrially relevant synthetic materials. This project aims to ascertain fundamental mechanistic properties of these systems to develop the ability to design and create functional materials.

The project will investigate molecular level binding of acrylamide / acid functional groups across a polymeric backbone through computational and experimental methods. The role of chain length and functional group orientation on complex formation will be investigated computationally to determine controlling factors. This will involve both ab initio quantum mechanical and force field based energy optimisations alongside molecular dynamics studies. The results of the simulations will determine the choice of benchtop characterisation of short chain polymers to obtain experimental data to confirm the computational results. This will involve oligomer synthesis and characterisation through diffusion & complexation measurements.

The University of Bradford is a leading technology university with a strong history of polymer engineering and chemical research. This project will allow an ambitious candidate to develop computational and analytical skills relevant to a range of material sciences.

Techniques and Methodology

Computational research programme; energy optimisation of structures using atomic force fields, re-optimisation at higher quantum mechanical levels, gas phase and implicit solvation tests, molecular dynamic studies. Polymer synthesis and characterisation using DOSY NMR, GPC, Mass Spec and Fluorescence Tagging.

Scientific Impact

Synthesic Polymers are used across the board in materials science, incorporated into products as diverse as food additives, cement mixtures and paint latexes. However the interaction of these polymers in solution with themselves and solvated materials are not well understood. This PhD will generate high quality, highly publishable research that will enhance the students’ career prospects in a diverse range of academic and industrial disciplines.

Entry requirements

2:1 BSc (Hons) and/or merit at MSc level in Chemistry, Maths, Engineering or other relevant science.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

Design of an efficient water splitting catalyst will be aimed in this project to discover environmentfriendly way of hydrogen generation from water. This is one of the most challenging areas of research with its relevance to the potential solution for upcoming fuel crisis. The proposed research will focus on biomimetic design and synthesis of polynuclear mixed valence manganese cluster complexes which will be studied for water splitting catalysis. A large pool of naturally available amino acids and their Schiff-base derivatives will be used as ligands to explore different polynuclear coordination complexes. The synthetic part of this project will mainly focus on synthesis of ligands, and coordination complexes. Characterization will involve the use of different analytical techniques (IR, NMR, UV-Vis), use of gas chromatograph, and X-ray diffractometers (single crystal and powder Xray diffraction).

The student will get high quality training in all these areas, and will be involved in developing new materials for biomimetic water splitting catalysis.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 BSc (Hons.), MChem or MSc in Chemistry, or an equivalent degree; knowledge of crystallisation and computational chemistry would be an advantage.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

The increase in resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is one of the biggest issues facing the world and many commentators have written on the catastrophic effects of the descent into a post-antibiotic world. New therapies are clearly required to combat infectious diseases but also new diagnostic techniques are required to provide better understanding of infected states. This project addresses the latter by providing polymer materials that bind selectively to bacteria and then respond to their presence; by changing conformation.1-3 The change in conformation can then be assessed using dyes that are sensitive to their environment.

We will work in collaboration with microbiologists at the University of Sheffield, who will test the polymers in established microbiological assays. The key polymers are highly branched poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)s with bacteria binding ligands at the chain ends. The ligand in this case is a peptide, VPHNPGLISLQG, which has been identified by phage display techniques to selectively bind to Staphylococcus aureus.

The project will mainly involve the synthesis of these polymers and their characterisation in terms of molecular structure and physical properties with their microbiological properties being assessed at University of Sheffield. We will also examine the toxicity of the polymers in cell culture assays at Bradford.

Entry requirements

A 2:1 MChem or MSc in Materials Chemistry or a related subject.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

In this project, we propose to use a combination of computational and experimental techniques to develop a predictive method for co-crystallisation. Many modern pharmaceuticals suffer from low solubility and other undesirable physical properties. A promising approach to address these issues is to co-crystallise the biologically active compound with an excipient (an approved additive). This is a very hot topic in pharmaceutical research and of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry; many academic and industrial research groups are active in this area.

Despite considerable effort, there is currently no validated approach to predict from first principles which excipient gives the most stable co-crystal when crystallised with a particular pharmaceutical. However, a recent pilot study (Chan, Kendrick, Neumann & Leusen, CrystEngComm, 15: 3799 – 3807 (2013)) has shown that a state-of-the-art crystal structure prediction method, which has been developed and validated by Avantgarde Materials Simulation in collaboration with our team at the University of Bradford, can be utilised to predict whether a given co-crystal will form. The method also predicts the relative stability of potential cocrystals. We aim to build on the success of the pilot study by predicting from first principles which excipients would be the most suitable co-formers for a selection of simple pharmaceuticals (e.g., aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen) and then verifying the predictions through standard crystallisation experiments. There is an opportunity to commercialise the method.

Entry requirements

At least a 2:1 in Chemistry, or a MSc in Chemistry, or an equivalent degree. Knowledge of crystallisation and computational chemistry would be an advantage.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

The global population is growing, with the number of births consistently higher than the number of deaths. This is because people are living for longer, due at least in part to improved lifestyle and healthcare provision. Consequently, in the UK 18% of the population are aged 65 or above. This equates to almost 12 million people thus factors relating to ageing health are of prime concern. In parallel with the increasing age of the population, we also have an increase in the number of individuals with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). This presents with features of premature ageing, and currently there are over 4 million patients in the UK alone with this disease, with a further 550,000 patients with T2D but without a formal diagnosis.

Problems with blood vessels are common to both ageing and T2D. These complications include the large blood vessels (macrovasculature), for example the development of atherosclerosis, and the smaller vessels (microvasculature) that can lead to issues such as poor wound healing. Another feature common to both ageing and T2D is systemic inflammation. This has led to an emerging research field into ‘inflammaging’ which can have a negative impact on blood vessels of all types. Studies on patients with T2D have revealed that keeping tight control of blood sugar levels can improve microvascular complications; however its impact on macrovascular disease is much more contentious. There is already evidence that macrovessels have differential gene expression dependent on their vascular source and disease state (Riches et al, 2014), hence it is very likely that there will be differences between micro and macrovessels when it comes to responding to the challenges of ageing and metabolic disturbances.

Blood vessels are composed of two main cell types. Endothelial cells (EC) line the blood vessel, and smooth muscle cells (SMC) are responsible for maintaining vessel tone and are the main cellular component of the vessel wall in macrovascular arteries and veins, and microvascular arterioles. In the very fine capillaries that underlie the skin, only EC are present. Ageing can lead to EC and SMC dysfunction, as can T2D. As yet, the mechanisms leading to cellular dysfunction in both scenarios have not been fully characterised.

Hypothesis

Gene expression differs between different vascular sources, even within the same individual. Identification of differentially expressed genes and the mechanisms leading to this will reveal new therapeutic targets to improve micro and macrovascular health in ageing and diabetes.

Aims

1. Identify differences in the expression profile of whole vessels from different anatomical sites, with particular focus on inflammatory mediators
2. Determine cellular source of altered transcripts, e.g. EC, SMC or both
3. Determine the function and regulation of proteins from validated altered transcripts using cell culture models
4. Evaluate any impact of age and/or T2D on these proteins by comparing expression and/or activity across multiple tissue donors

Experimental plan

The student will be trained in processing of human samples (saphenous vein representing the macrovascular and full thickness skin for isolating the microvascular arterioles). Samples from individuals of different ages and T2D status will be fixed, sectioned and used initially for immunohistochemistry (to familiarise the student with tissue architecture) and then for laser-capture microdissection to isolate specific areas of interest. Gene expression profiles of the matched micro- and macrovascular sites will be quantified using RNA sequencing or array. The cellular source of any transcriptional differential expression (e.g. SMC, EC) will be identified using fluorescence in situ hybridisation on sectioned tissue (years 1-2). The impact of differential expression will be evaluated using cell culture techniques. EC and SMC will be grown in isolation in culture from existing cell banks or from commercial sources, and over-expression and/or knockdown studies utilised to determine behavioural modulation (e.g. proliferation, migration), and the influence of ageing and T2D (years 2-3).

This project offers a number of opportunities for developing a programme of work that can be therapeutically applied to multiple clinical scenarios e.g. cardiovascular remodelling, wound healing.

Entry requirements

2:1 BSc (Hons) and/or merit at MSc level in Biology, Physiology or an allied subject.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

The external shape of crystalline particles (called morphology) is of paramount importance in a wide range of applications, in particular pharmaceuticals and pigments. In the production of pharmaceuticals, undesirable crystal morphologies such as needles and plates can cause serious problems in processing (e.g., slurry handling, filtration) and formulation (e.g., tableting, dissolution)

Crystal morphology can be controlled by careful selection of solvent mixtures and excipients (approved additives), although in practice this is done on a trial-and-error basis. In this project, we propose to use a combination of computational and experimental techniques to develop a rational approach to optimise the solvent mixture and to select optimal excipients for the crystallisation of drug particles with desired crystal morphology. The computational techniques involve the prediction of crystal morphology, the construction of major crystal growth surfaces, the study of the interaction of solvent and excipient molecules with these surfaces, and considering the impact of these interactions on the crystal morphology.

The experimental techniques involve standard crystallisation procedures using different combinations of solvents and excipients, and measuring the size and geometry of the resulting crystalline particles. As exemplar compounds, a few simple and easy to obtain compounds will be selected, such as aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen and quinacridone. Once the procedure has been developed and tested on these simple compounds, some more challenging substances will be selected. If the approach is successful, it can be commercialised.

Entry requirements

At least a 2:1 in Chemistry, or a MSc in Chemistry, or an equivalent degree. Knowledge of crystallisation and computational chemistry would be an advantage.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

Biopharmaceuticals have been increasingly used in the treatment of skin diseases. However, due to the poor absorption of peptide and protein through the skin, they are usually delivered through injections.

Encapsulation of protein in liposomes has been reported to provide a potential transdermal delivery system. Aspects such as sizing, lipid content and permeation enhancers could further improve the absorption of proteins through the skin.

The project involves the preparation of a nano liposomal drug delivery system using microfluidic reactors. The product will be tested in vitro using skin cell lines for efficacy and geno-toxicity. The project will be running in collaboration with the skin disease unit in St Lukes Hospital, Bradford, with a potential to expand the project into clinical trials.

Applicants are expected to be highly motivated and interested in research area involving aspects of drug delivery and cell cultures.

Entry requirements

2:1 honours in a relevant Bachelors degree or relevant Masters degree.

Funding

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

Ionic liquids are salts which are liquids at room temperature. Ionic liquids have a wide range of applications due to their unique physicochemical properties such as chemical, thermal stability, low melting point, nonvolatility, nonflamability, low toxicity and recyclability which offer unique and interesting potential for pharmaceutical applications.

Currently, many research groups are working on the development of ionic liquids to use in the pharmaceutical field but there is limited understanding about relationship between structure and activities. Similarly, there is need to develop scalable method for manufacturing of pharmaceutical ionic liquids and formulations based on ionic liquids. The objective is to develop novel ionic liquid based advanced formulation systems and manufacturing technologies for the same.

This project provides opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary supervisory team and develop your skills in the area of advanced manufacturing technologies and analytical techniques leading to innovation.

Funding Notes

Applicants will need to have their own funding or external sponsorship. A bench fee may be payable in addition to the tuition fees.

Neil is the Postgraduate Research Admissions Officer and handles all PhD and MPhil applications for all faculties at the University. He endeavours to provide a professional and responsive service to our academic staff and applicants.

Dr Poterlowicz teaches computational biology, medical genetics and statistics and acts as a personal tutor to first year students on the biomedical science undergraduate programme. He is a research active academic with interest in the identification of novel genomics biomarkers that influence tissue development and disease. He is involved in international scientific collaborations (MRC UK-China Stem Cell Partnership Initiative grant) and his research is regulatory published in peer-review journals. Dr Poterlowicz actively involved with international focus groups that aim to develop and provide bioinformatics and medical informatics training for biomedical science students and staff. He is an Associate Member of the EpiGenSys and a Member of the Royal Society of Biology.