Personalised Pulsatile Materials (PPM)

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The project aims to develop a ground-breaking class of materials: functional porous polymers able to expand and collapse their volume fully autonomously in a predesigned rhythm for a predesigned duration. The goal of this fellowship is to produce biocompatible rhythmic (pulsatile) materials for medical applications. In particular, for controlled/targeted drug delivery in chronopharmacotherapy to treat diseases with established oscillatory rhythms in their pathogenesis, e.g. arthritis (10 million people in UK), duodenal ulcers (1 in 10 people in UK), cancer (1 in 4 of all deaths in UK) and cardiovascular diseases (1 in 4 adults in UK). Also, for mechanoresponsive tissues (e.g. bone and the vascular system) in regenerative medicine to facilitate cell activity and the assembly of mechanically robust and biologically functional tissue (organs). The proposed methodology incorporates collaboration with BDD (http://www.bddpharma.com/) and internationally recognised academic partners. This will enhance progress, knowledge dissemination, mitigate risks and ensure the materials are suitable for end-user driven development of fit-for-purpose products, and will accelerate transfer of research outcomes to healthcare applications. The proposal is built on the ground-breaking discovery of chemical oscillators employing polymeric substrates (Chem Commun 2014) and in-depth studies of biocompatible intelligent hydrogels (Adv Mater Sci Eng 2015) resulting from CAF2009. The project duration is 2 years and the methodology has 3 work packages (WP). WP1 in collaboration with Professor Vancso's group, Twente University, addresses the synthesis and experimental validation of proof-of-principle autonomous polymeric materials. In WP2, in collaboration with BDD company, characterisation and validation of the materials is pursued to meet end-user needs and regulatory requirements. WP3 in collaboration with Professor Kolar-Anic's group, Belgrade University, focuses on the development of predictive physico-chemical models to aid experimental studies and facilitate the design of patient-tailored materials. The proposal is aligned with Healthcare Technologies Grand Challenges (Developing Future Therapies; Optimising Treatment) and Advanced Materials and Future Manufacturing Technologies areas of research.