About
This project seeks to develop a new method in treating cancer by coupling nuclear medicine with Creo Medical’s sophisticated medical microwave technologies. Nuclear medicine is a well-established subset of radiology that implants radioactive material into a patient for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
The selected candidate will use a mixture of experimental and modelling techniques to develop biocompatible microspheres composed of alginate gels which would be used totransport radioactive material to the site of a tumour. The alginate enclosure has a number of benefits over the traditional radiopharmaceutical method of delivery. In particular, the radiation dose to the surrounding healthy tissues is reduced as they will remain lodged securely in place during irradiation. The alginate enclosure can also transport radioactive material for which there is currently no viable drug. Microwave radiation will also be used to dissolve the alginate spheres and safely disperse the material once it is safe to do so.
Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS 2) is a pan-Wales higher level skills initiative led by Bangor University on behalf of the HE sector in Wales. It is part funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund (ESF) convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys.
Due to ESF funding, eligibility restrictions apply to this scholarship. To be eligible, the successful candidate will need to be resident in the Convergence Area of Wales on University registration, and must have the right to work in the region on qualification.
For further information on the project, please contact the primary supervisor, Dr Lee J. Evitts (l.evitts@bangor.ac.uk)
How to Apply:
The prospective applicant should have at least a 2:1 in a relevant degree (e.g. chemistry, physics, materials science) and be available to take up the studentship by 3rd October 2022, and an earlier start would be welcome.
To apply, send a CV and covering letter to Dr Lee J. Evitts (l.evitts@bangor.ac.uk) and cc Penny Dowdney (p.j.dowdney@bangor.ac.uk) by the end of Friday 22nd July 2022.
Closing Date
July 22, 2022
Financial Support
Annual Stipend: £11,937
Project ID: BUK2E052
The Project
The research will be conducted within the new Nuclear Medicine group under the Nuclear Futures Institute at Bangor University and will involve two work packages:
- To investigate the ideal size of the microspheres (and the radiation dose to surrounding tissues) through the use of existing modelling software (e.g. MCNP or Geant4).
- To determine the ideal material composition by producing the alginate microspheres and exposing them to microwave radiation to observe their reactions.
The microspheres will be produced and characterized within the Creo Medical and Nuclear Futures Institute laboratories at Bangor University. Stable surrogates will be used in place of the radioactive material and so the selected candidate will not be handling radioactive material.