About the Project

This PhD project aims to develop next-generation multi-therapy drug delivery systems that address polypharmacy by engineering programmable formulations in a single dose that simplify complex drug regimens and transform care for patients with multiple chronic conditions. This project bridges fundamental pharmaceutical sciences with translational innovation to enhance patient adherence and maximise therapeutics outcomes.

As the global population continues to age, the challenge of medication adherence is becoming increasingly complex. In polypharmacy, where individuals require five or more medications daily, managing multiple medications with different dosing schedules is challenging. Such complexity affects particularly patients with chronic health conditions, and non-compliance leads to poorer health outcomes, increased healthcare costs, reduced independence and diminished quality of life. Current long-acting therapies typically address single drugs, and no flexible platforms yet exists to combine multiple therapies into one simple, patient-friendly format.

This PhD project will address this gap by exploring novel multi-therapy drug delivery systems that can effectively deliver multiple drugs, enhance therapeutic precision, and overcome biological barriers to improve efficacy and patient experience. The PhD candidate will have the opportunity to investigate a range of formulation and drug delivery platforms, including polymeric or nanoscale carriers, multi‑compartment oral structures, transdermal microneedle systems, long‑acting depots, stimuli‑responsive platforms and other advanced approaches. This breadth enables the PhD candidate to match delivery solutions to specific pharmacology and clinical needs, guided by mechanistic insights and translational relevance.

The PhD candidate will be based in the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, with access to multidisciplinary expertise in medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, microbiology, immunology and advanced drug delivery. The research programme will include preformulation screening, formulation design, physicochemical and structural characterisation, and in vitro evaluation of drug release, stability and biological interactions.

Structured training will be provided in formulation science, material engineering, analytical sciences, pharmacokinetics and advanced drug delivery, alongside experimental design, data analysis, scientific writing, and research ethics. The candidate will have opportunities to present research findings, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and attend national and international conferences. The candidate will also have the opportunity to work with researchers within the Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics – Global Health (CELT Global Health) at the University of Liverpool, to gain practical experience in translational research and pharmaceutical development practices.