LAB-ON-GAN FOR MANIPULATING CANCER EXOSOMES FOR CANCER EARLY DIAGNOSTICS
Lead Research Organisation:
Cardiff University
Department Name: Sch of Engineering
Abstract
EPSRC Portfolio Areas: RF and microwave devices, Clinical technologies, Microsystems, Microelectronic device technology, Sensors and instrumentation
A cancer becomes life-threatening when the primary tumour spreads from the place where it first started to another place in the body. The spreading process is called metastasis, a tumour formed by spreading cancer cells is called a metastatic tumour. There is an urgent need for increased knowledge about the cellular communication mechanisms between tumour cells and normal cells resulting in pathological metabolism in the metastatic site. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a distinct population of membranous vesicles of endocytic origin. They range from 30 to 150 nm in diameter and are released by cells upon fusion of intracellular multi-vesicular bodies with the plasma membrane. The project will develop a surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducer based on piezoelectric effect of Gallium Nitride (GaN) to separate cancer-derived EVs subpopulation from whole blood.
The candidate will work in a multidisciplinary team with the objective to develop and implement the novel transducer for new real-time diagnosis and classification of cancer by using EV as a cancer marker. The student will :
Carry out literature studies to gain the necessary physics and biological knowledge in order to deliver the technology development plan.
Develop the lab on GaN, and test the device with standard samples.
Test the device with clinical samples and preliminary implementation.
RP4 (M34 - 42) Documenting and writing up.
A cancer becomes life-threatening when the primary tumour spreads from the place where it first started to another place in the body. The spreading process is called metastasis, a tumour formed by spreading cancer cells is called a metastatic tumour. There is an urgent need for increased knowledge about the cellular communication mechanisms between tumour cells and normal cells resulting in pathological metabolism in the metastatic site. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a distinct population of membranous vesicles of endocytic origin. They range from 30 to 150 nm in diameter and are released by cells upon fusion of intracellular multi-vesicular bodies with the plasma membrane. The project will develop a surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducer based on piezoelectric effect of Gallium Nitride (GaN) to separate cancer-derived EVs subpopulation from whole blood.
The candidate will work in a multidisciplinary team with the objective to develop and implement the novel transducer for new real-time diagnosis and classification of cancer by using EV as a cancer marker. The student will :
Carry out literature studies to gain the necessary physics and biological knowledge in order to deliver the technology development plan.
Develop the lab on GaN, and test the device with standard samples.
Test the device with clinical samples and preliminary implementation.
RP4 (M34 - 42) Documenting and writing up.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Xin Yang (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Mercedes Stringer Martin (Student) |