Exploring how chemical and nanostructural functionalities of short designed peptide hydrogels control early host immune responses

This project will exploit new ways of working in the life science-physics interface by engaging in the new challenge of exploring how to control early immune responses of short, designed, antimicrobial peptide hydrogels. This area of work has so far been led by physical research over the past 10 years with over 20 journal publications. To further develop these self-assembled bionanomaterials and seek their applications in regenerative medicine and drug delivery, it is highly necessary to train new skills from both physical sciences and core biosciences (cell biochemistry, physiology, immunity), in conjunction with a more niche area of tissue engineering - a theme that has been advocated by BBSRC for decades. This project will train the new PhD student to understand how immune responses act at molecular, cellular and physiological levels to influence physiological and pathophysiological processes. The student will also develop awareness and skills relating to the NC3Rs (i.e. Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research) as well as key skills pertaining to the BBSRC commitment to non-animal technologies in the development of biotechnologies and testing systems that better predict human and animal responses, and the environmental effects of chemicals and new nanostructure entities.