Engineering Nature's Blueprint: 3D Printing Macro- and Micro-Architectures for Smarter Drug Delivery

About the project

About the Project From the microscopic spines of a sea urchin to the layered architecture of a beetle's shell, nature has spent millions of years engineering structures of remarkable complexity and function. This PhD project puts those designs to work — using cutting-edge 3D printing and digital fabrication to develop the next generation of drug delivery systems.The project will involve using several techniques such as computer aided design (CAD), 3D printing technologies, lyophilization, physical characterization of active and dosage forms, essential protein formulation skills, and in vitro permeability studies and in vivo proof of concept in model animals. ou will design, fabricate, and test bio-inspired structures at both macro- and micro-scale, with a focus on developing smart drug delivery capsules i.e. complex, geometrically optimised dosage forms with tunable release profiles inspired by structures found in the natural world. This is a genuinely interdisciplinary project sitting at the intersection of materials science, pharmaceutical engineering, and biology — offering you a rare breadth of expertise that is highly valued in both academia and industry. Over the course of your PhD you will: Design complex 3D structures using computer-aided design (CAD) software Fabricate prototypes using state-of-the-art 3D printing technologies Develop and characterise drug formulations, including protein-based actives Apply lyophilisation (freeze-drying) to preserve sensitive biological materials Evaluate performance through in vitro permeability and dissolution studies Conduct in vivo proof-of-concept studies in animal models Person specification We are looking to recruit ambitious and motivated graduates with pharmacy or engineering background who are interested in carrying out ground-breaking research for fabrication and functionalisation of next-generation drug delivery systems for proteins. Research training The candidate will pursue a PhD programme in the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King’s College London. The institute is top 20 Pharmacy and pharmacology school in QS university ranking. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research-courses/cancer-and-pharmaceutical-sciences-mphil-phd The project will involve using several techniques such as computer aided design (CAD), 3D printing technologies, physical characterization of hydrogel, essential protein formulation, in vitro permeability studies using cell-line models and in vivo proof of concept in model animals. Dr Alhnan has a world-leading expertise in pharmaceutical additive manufacturing https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/alhnan.html https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=boaKXLsAAAAJ&hl=en Informal enquiries with CV are welcome to be sent to Dr Mohamed A Alhnan: Alhnan@kcl.ac.uk

Research areas