Integrated microneedle electrode microfluidic devices for the simultaneous extraction and detection of inflammatory biomarkers

The Centre for Bioengineering & Biomedical Technologies (CBio) at the University of Bath is inviting applications for the following fully-funded 4 year PhD project.

Project

There is a continued need to develop culture-independent, rapid and accurate point-of-care diagnostics to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Although over two thirds of medical decisions are made based on diagnosis, when diagnosing antimicrobial infections, the diagnosis rate is much lower and therefore drugs are often either not prescribed when they are really needed or over-prescribed without positive diagnosis. Bringing infection detection to point-of-care could transform the way patients are diagnosed and treated for antimicrobial infections and ultimately contribute to reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to optimise diagnosis and treatment by developing minimally invasive sensors that monitor specific biomarkers that are present in microbial infected patients. During the PhD project, the student will utilise 3D printing methodologies that have been previously developed at Bath to produce robust, functional hollow microneedles arrays. The microneedle arrays will be conductive to enable iontophoresis to actively extract interstitial fluid to move fluid along the needle and device. These minimally invasive, ‘pain-free’ devices have the potential to provide a solution to infection detection and lay the foundations for a novel set of wearable biosensors towards semi-continuous monitoring.

Candidate Requirements

Applicants should hold, or expect to receive, a First Class or high Upper Second Class Honours degree (or the equivalent). A master’s level qualification would also be advantageous.

Non-UK applicants must meet our English language entry requirement.

Enquiries and Applications

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Dr Hannah Leese – [email protected]

Formal applications should be made via the University of Bath’s online application form for a PhD in Chemical Engineering.

When completing your application form, in the ‘Funding your studies’ section, you must select Industry Sponsor from the drop-down list, and enter ‘Abbott’ in the free text box, and provide the supervisor name and project title in the ‘Your PhD project’ section. Failure to complete these steps will cause delays in processing your application, and may cause you to miss the deadline.

More information about applying for a PhD at Bath may be found on our website.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We value a diverse research environment and aim to be an inclusive university, where difference is celebrated and respected. We welcome and encourage applications from under-represented groups.

If you have circumstances that you feel we should be aware of that have affected your educational attainment, then please feel free to tell us about it in your application form. The best way to do this is a short paragraph at the end of your personal statement.