Overview
This PhD project will develop translational long-acting depot drug delivery technologies that enable controlled and programmable drug release for chronic disease management, bridging fundamental formulation science with clinically relevant design to enhance patient adherence and maximise therapeutic outcomes.
About this opportunity
Chronic diseases, including central nervous system (CNS) disorders and infectious diseases such as HIV, place a substantial and growing burden on healthcare systems worldwide and often require lifelong pharmacotherapy (Alidori et al., 2024). Conventional drug products, such as oral tablets and capsules, typically require frequent dosing, which can lead to poor patient adherence, fluctuating drug exposure, and suboptimal therapeutic outcomes.
Long-acting injectables (LAIs) offer a compelling alternative by enabling sustained drug delivery from a single administration, reducing dosing frequency and improving treatment durability (Wilkinson et al., 2022). In recent years, industrial development and regulatory approvals of LAI products have accelerated, with notable examples including long-acting risperidone for antipsychotic treatment and Yeztugo® (lenacapavir) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis approved in 2025. Despite these advances, most existing LAIs are limited to relatively simple zero- or first-order continuous release profiles, offering little flexibility to adapt drug exposure to dynamic disease progression or therapeutic needs.
This PhD project aims to address this limitation by developing next-generation LAI depot drug delivery systems with programmable release profiles, such as pulsatile or on–off drug release which is only achieved currently in implantable (Wang et al., 2025). These systems are designed to synchronise drug exposure with in vivo pharmacological demand, maximising therapeutic efficacy while maintaining clinical practicality. The project will focus on translational formulation strategies that combine innovative drug delivery design with real-world manufacturability and regulatory relevance.
The project will begin with the PhD candidate working alongside clinical collaborators to identify appropriate model diseases and drug candidate(s) that would benefit from programmable long-acting delivery. The candidate will then undertake a comprehensive research programme including preformulation screening, depot formulation design, physicochemical and structural characterisation, and in vitro drug release testing. Biorelevant testing methods and key translational considerations, such as injectability, stability, scalability, and manufacturability, will be incorporated throughout the project to ensure alignment with industrial and regulatory expectations.
The PhD candidate will receive training across pharmaceutical sciences, materials engineering, and advanced drug delivery, alongside structured development in experimental design, data analysis, scientific writing, and research ethics. Opportunities will be provided to present research findings, develop intellectual properties such as patents, 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 and to engage with potential industrial collaborators, gaining exposure to translational research and pharmaceutical development practices.
The four-year PhD programme is structured to support progressive skill development. The first year will focus on foundational training, literature review, experimental planning, and initial formulation development. The second and third years will emphasise increasing research independence, formulation optimisation, advanced characterisation, and dissemination of findings. The final year will be dedicated to completing experimental work and writing the thesis.
This project offers an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated candidate to contribute to the next generation of long-acting drug delivery technologies development, while acquiring a versatile skill set that supports diverse career pathways beyond the PhD.
Further reading
Alidori S, Subramanian R, Holm R. Patient-Centric Long-Acting Injectable and Implantable Platforms─An Industrial Perspective. Mol. Pharmaceutics 2024, 21, 9, 4238–4258. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.4c00665
Wilkinson J, Ajulo D, Tamburrini V, Gall GL, Kimpe K, Holm R, Belton P, Qi S. Lipid based intramuscular long-acting injectables: Current state of the art. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2022;178:106253. https://doi: 10.1016/j.ejps.2022.106253.
Wang E Y, Calle E, Ying B, Eshaghi B, Zhang L, Yang X, Lin S, Han J, Backx A, Huang Y, Mursalova S, Qi C, Liu Y, Langer R, Jaklenec A. TIMED: Temporal intervention with microparticle encapsulation and delivery—A programmed release system for post-myocardial infarction therapy. Cell Biomaterials. 2025, 100249, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celbio.2025.100249.