Engineering Personalised Cutaneous Hypobaric Microchambers that Deliver Antifungal Gas into the Human Nail to Treat Onychomycosis
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bath
Department Name: Pharmacy and Pharmacology
Abstract
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People |
ORCID iD |
| Albert Bolhuis (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Ho FK
(2021)
Prevention and Treatment of Fungal Skin Infections Using Cationic Polymeric Films.
in Pharmaceutics
| Description | One of the main aims of our part of the project is to test the spectrum of activity of H2S against several microbes that can cause nail infections. This included a wide range of fungal species, as well as bacteria. This work was successful, and we found that H2S has a broad spectrum of activity, capable of inhibiting all of the common fungal and bacterial species that cause nail infections. With most organisms that were tested, H2S either killed the microbes or inhibited their growth and reproduction. The level of activity of H2S was at a level comparable to antibiotics that are currently used in the treatment of infection. Importantly, we did not observe development of any resistance against H2S in the most common causative agent of fungal nail infections, while resistance against clinically used antifungal agents is reported more and more frequently. |
| Exploitation Route | The project has clearly shown that there is real potential in using H2S in treating nail infections, as it has good activity in vitro. However, the work also raises many questions that will drive our future work on this. For instance, it is not clear how exactly H2S kills microbes, and how well it works when applied to diseased nails of patients. Furthermore, considering the good antimicrobial activity of H2S, it is likely that this is applicable to treat a wider range of infections. This includes skin infections, which are often caused by the same or similar microbes that cause nail infections, as well as infected wounds. These questions we can hopefully answer with further funding. |
| Sectors | Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Description | KCL |
| Organisation | King's College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This project is a collaboration with Prof Stuart Jones (KCL) and Dr Mohamed Alhnan (KCL). My group provides expertise on the biology of dermatophytes. My group has been working for a number of years on developing skin infection models, and in particular dermatophytes (fungi that cause skin infections such as athlete's foot, ringworm and nail infections). In addition, my group was the first to show the antifungal activity of H2S against dermatophytes. Prof Jones and I also jointly supervise a PhD student working on a related project. This student is based at KCL, and I have provided her with microbiological training. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Prof Jones works in the area of pharmaceutics and is an expert in drug delivery into human tissues, including treatment for onychomycosis. This includes work on effect of barometric pressure changes on penetration of chemicals into tissues. Dr Alhnan is an expert material science and electronics in the pharmaceutical field, developing pharmaceutical technologies for drug delivery, such as bespoke 3D printed devices. As part of the EPSRC-funded project, Dr Alhnan will design 3D-printed devices for delivery of H2S to infected nails. |
| Impact | No outputs at present |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | BSMM conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk at the annual meeting of the British Society for Medical Mycology, Sep 2022, and a poster presentation by the post-doc in my group, Dr Fritz Ka Ho Ho. The main purpose was to inform other researchers about our work on nail and skin infections. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | ECCMID 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation at ECCMID 2022, April 2022. To inform other researchers on our work on onychomycosis. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Engineering solutions to facilitate remote clinical trials |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A workshop organised by Prof Stuart Jones, and attended also by Dr Albert Bolhuis, and Dr Fritz Ka-Ho Ho (post-doctoral researcher working in Bath on the EPSRC project). The main aim was to bring together researchers from a wide range of disciplines. The main aims of the workshop were to form networks, form plans to submit an opinion paper, and plan a new EPSRC network grant bid. The workshop included patient involvement, with a panel discussion of patients who had volunteered in clinical trials. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | FEMS 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Post presentation by Dr Fritz Ka Ho Ho, at the annual conference of the Federation of European Microbiology Societies (FEMS) in Belgrade (30 June-2 July 2022). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | IUMS 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Online conference of the International Union of Microbiology Societies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Microbiology Society 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk at the annual Microbiology Society conference, Belfast (April 2022). To inform other researchers of our work on onychomycosis. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Sfam 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Oral presentation by Fritz Ka Ho Ho at SfAM (Society for Applied Microbiology) ECR research symposium, 20 June 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Skin@Bath conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation (by the post-doc in my group) at this symposium of the Skin@Bath network, Dec 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |