"PhD Studentship: Hybrid Foldamer-Polymer Scaffolds as Novel Biomaterials for Wound Healing Applications"

University of Birmingham - School of Chemistry

Foldamers are synthetic helical oligomers that adopt stable secondary structures through mimicking the folding patterns of biological systems to generate biomimetic structures of well-defined size and shape. In recent years, the biological activity of a diverse array of foldamers as potential antimicrobial and antibacterial agents has excited much interest. Despite their antimicrobial properties make them excellent candidates for topical wound healing treatment, the potential application of foldamers as biomaterials has not yet been explored. Moreover, 3D scaffolds obtained from supramolecular assembly of foldamers often lack the mechanical properties required for their optimal performance as biomedical devices.

Polymers have recently emerged as a promising class of materials for biomedical applications, as a consequence of their ease of synthesis, biocompatibility, and tuneable mechanical properties. These attractive features have encouraged their widespread use in a diverse range of applications, including drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and wound healing. However, the use of polymeric materials for wound healing applications is severely limited by their inefficacy to induce a biological response, which in turn fail to promote tissue healing and growth.

In this project, we will address the limitations associated with both foldamers and polymers by creating a new class of biomimetic hybrid foldamer-polymer materials. These biomimetic hybrid scaffolds will form controlled double-network hydrogels in which the mechanical and biocompatibility properties of the scaffold can be orthogonally tuned through modification of either the polymer or foldamer components. Furthermore, the presence of the foldamer component, which acts as a biomimetic, allows the scaffold to not only function as a topical wound care device but also to exhibit antimicrobial activity which has long term implications for increased recovery of the patient. A diverse range of libraries of foldamer-polymer scaffolds will be created in order to permit optimization of the biological performance of the hybrid foldamer-polymer biomaterials as a novel generation of topical wound healing devices with in-built antimicrobial activity. Moreover, the cytocompatibility of these materials, as well as their ability to promote tissue healing and growth will be assessed in 2D and 3D in vitro cell culture.

Methods

The hybrid foldamer-polymer scaffolds will be synthesized using well-established synthetic organic chemistry and polymer chemistry techniques. The novel materials will be fully characterized using standard and advanced analytical techniques including NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, size exclusion chromatography, circular dichroism spectroscopy and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The mechanical properties of the new scaffolds will be determined using rheology, tensile analysis and compression tests. The wound healing ability of the scaffolds will be investigated using a range of biological assays including live/dead assays to determine cytocompatibility, confocal fluorescence microscopy, live cell imaging, and cell proliferation and migration assays (such as scratch assay, high throughput migration assay, 3D migration, wound contraction assay).

To apply, please follow this link, make an account, and submit an application via the university online admissions portal (via the above ‘Apply’ button). This link is unique to the MIBTP programme; please do not use any other link to apply to this project or your application may be rejected

References:

[1] Davis, Dismorr, Male, Tucker, Pike, Chem. Eur. J., 2024, e202402423.
[2] Davis, Ozturk, Seaton, Male, Pike, Chem. Eur. J., 2024, e202402892.

Funding Information

This PhD studentship is funded through the BBRSC MIBTP Centre (Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership)
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/mibtp/.

The stipend is in line with UKRI rates £20,780 p.a

Includes a travel budget and a laptop.