Microfluidics-based blood analysis for personalised rehabilitation post stroke

About the Project

ABOUT THIS PROJECT:

The purpose of this PhD thesis is to develop a rapid decision-making tool, using microfluidics and blood analysis, to inform personalised rehabilitation routes that could revolutionise stroke rehabilitation.

Stroke is the highest cause of disability in the UK, with half of stroke survivors living with a disability, and 1 in 12 needing additional care for the rest of their lives. Access to evidence-based rehabilitation is consequently essential in the care pathway to minimise long-term effects but recent data show that the current available support is not enough; 40% of stroke survivors reported that they needed longer and more frequent physiotherapy [1]. Community-based rehabilitation has to innovate to accommodate for the ever-growing stroke survivor community and their urgent need for better long-term care.

The Sir Jules Thorn Centre for Co-creation of Rehabilitation Technology at the University of Strathclyde is a unique environment in the UK landscape that offers a multi-technology personalised approach to therapy for people with stroke. Importantly, the approach is designed to be deployable – and currently being evaluated in local authority gyms – offering more accessible, people-led care. While the benefits of this intense programme developed by our team has already been demonstrated with cohorts of stroke survivors at different stages of recovery [2], part of the remaining challenges for further translation include the risks of over, or under, dosing rehabilitation.

The PhD thesis will build on our preliminary data showing that a droplet of blood can be used to help predict the best intensity needed for an individual to progress with a given rehabilitation programme. Using a portable device relying on microfluidics, and in collaboration with Zellmechanik Dresden (an industrial partner expert in high throughput cell testing), the studentship focuses on analysing how blood biomarkers respond to a rehabilitation session and the level of stress experienced by the body before, during and after the programme. More specifically, a microfluidic-based imaging flow cytometer will be used to monitor the morphological (size) and mechanical (deformability) changes of blood cells [3], along with additional stress and inflammation markers, from volunteering stroke survivors who are going through a recovery programme.

Altered cell number, morphology and/or function can impede the body to operate optimally (changes in the size of red blood cells for instance can be linked to an increased risk of stroke [4] or fracture [5]), and the project aims to develop a model to help predict the best intensity to use on an individual basis. We believe this completely innovative approach can not only help identify the best regime of exercise for an individual (i.e. scaling intensity) but can also provide a paradigm shift in our understanding of the multi-sided (long-term) protective benefits of rehabilitation and need for larger scale interventions/investments in that field.

ABOUT THE TEAM:

As part of this PhD project, you will join an exciting multidisciplinary team of biologists, engineers and physiotherapists. The supervisory team consists of Dr Melanie Jimenez who has expertise in microfluidics, single cell analysis and medical diagnostics (https://jimenezmelanie.weebly.com), Dr Andy Kerr who leads the Sir Jules Thorn Centre for the Co-Creation of Rehabilitation Technology (https://www.strath.ac.uk/engineering/biomedicalengineering/thesirjulesthorncentre/), and Dr Sintip Pattanakuhar who is a rehabilitation physician and clinical researcher with expertise in neurophysiology.

The project will aim to better understand the fundamental role of mechanical properties in cellular health and disease, thus is ideally suited to students with a background pertaining to biomedical sciences, more specifically cellular biology, biomedical engineering or related fields. An interest in microfluidics is preferrable, but no prior experience is needed to apply. Do not hesitate to get in touch if you want to know more.

DEADLINE:

The deadline to apply for this project is on the 15th of May 2026. Applications submitted after this deadline will be treated on an individual basis until the position is filled. Please send a CV and a motivation letter to: melanie.jimenez@strath.ac.uk

Funding Notes

Funding has been secured for Home Studentship. To be treated as a home student, candidates must meet one of these criteria:

• be a UK national (meeting residency requirements)
• have settled status
• have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements)
• have indefinite leave to remain or enter.