Overview
Develop a new treatment for multidrug-resistant bacterial pneumonia by delivering antimicrobial peptide mRNA directly to the lungs using anti-inflammatory lipid nanoparticles. This interdisciplinary PhD combines mRNA engineering, nanomedicine, microbiology and immunology to kill resistant bacteria while reducing damaging lung inflammation.
About this opportunity
Bacterial pneumonia remains a major cause of illness and death worldwide, particularly among older adults, immunocompromised patients and individuals with underlying health conditions. Treatment relies heavily on antibiotics, but the rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is making many infections increasingly difficult to control. Inadequate bacterial clearance can also trigger excessive inflammation, causing further lung injury and creating a damaging cycle of infection, immune dysregulation and tissue destruction.
Antimicrobial peptides are naturally occurring components of the innate immune system with broad-spectrum activity against bacteria, including multidrug-resistant pathogens. Their clinical translation, however, has been limited by rapid degradation, poor tissue targeting, potential toxicity and insufficient potency when delivered to deep tissues such as the lung.
Antimicrobial peptides can be delivered to the lungs as mRNA using anti-inflammatory lipid nanoparticles, enabling local production of therapeutic proteins at the site of infection. Engineering these peptides into multifunctional can improve their stability, antibacterial potency and ability to engage the immune system. This approach has the potential to enhance bacterial clearance while limiting damaging inflammatory responses in lung tissue.
This multidisciplinary PhD project will develop next-generation mRNA-based antimicrobial therapies for severe lung infections. The research will combine antimicrobial peptide engineering, mRNA technology, lipid nanoparticle formulation, pulmonary drug delivery, microbiology and immunology.
The project will investigate how the molecular architecture of antimicrobial peptides can be optimised to improve stability, potency and selectivity. Messenger RNA encoding the most promising candidates will be formulated within lipid-based delivery systems designed to promote efficient expression in lung tissue while limiting toxicity and excessive inflammatory responses.
The development of treatments that both eliminate multidrug-resistant bacteria and control harmful inflammation could lead to safer and more effective therapies for bacterial pneumonia while reducing reliance on traditional antibiotics. The PhD will be collaboration with the Antimicrobial Biomaterials Group and the Oxford Vaccine Group. The skills gained will provide an excellent foundation for future careers in academia or industry.