Research Interests
Open to PhD applications in the field of:
- Nanopharmaceuticals
- High-Z radiosensitisers
- Tumour metabolism
- Tumour microenvironment
- Targeted delivery
- Radiopharmaceuticals
- Radiobiology
- Targeted Immunotherapy
Current Research Opportunities
- Countering the proteinase-activated receptor 1 (PAR-1) pro-tumour phenotype using a novel nanotherapeutic approach
- Developing and characterising novel targeted nanocomposites serving as adjuvants to existing standard-of-care cancer treatments
Public outreach & key achievements
- Co-founder and Director of BXTA Nanotherapy, QUB Joint Venture company
- Prostate Cancer UK funding:
- Prostate Cancer UK funding:
- MRC Confidence in Concept – Anti-inflammatory radiosensitising gold nanoparticles for the treatment of prostate cancer
- EPSRC – Nanoengineered microneedle arrays for enhanced plasmonic photothermal therapy of basal cell carcinoma – EP/P034063/1
- EPSRC - Improving patient outcome by integrating the generic with the personal – EPSRC EP/K039342/1
Research students
| PhD area | Developing novel polymeric delivery systems to modifying tumour metabolism increasing sensitivity to radiotherapy |
| Name | Zelin Tan |
| Years of study | 2024 - 2027 |
| Country | China |
| PhD area | Evaluating radiation bystander and abscopal effects conferred by novel nanoparticle formulations |
| Name | Lydia McQuoid |
| Years of study | 2022 - 2025 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| PhD area | Elucidating the impact of attenuated CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling in prostate cancer |
| Name | Xinyi Liu |
| Years of study | 2021 - 2024 |
| Country | China |
| PhD area | A nanotherapeutic approach to inhibiting hedgehog signaling in brain cancer |
| Name | Bayan Ahmed A Alkhaldi |
| Years of study | 2021 - 2024 |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
Alumni: Where are they now
| PhD area | PSMA targeted gold nanoparticles as effective prostate cancer radiosensitisers |
| Name | Cancan Yin |
| Years of study | 2019 - 2022 |
| Country | China |
| Current position | Postdoc research fellow – Wellcome-Wolfson Institute For Experimental Medicine, QUB |
| PhD area | Exploiting hyperactive glucose transporters: a targeting mechanism for drug loaded nanoparticles |
| Name | Tongchuan Wang |
| Years of study | 2019 - 2022 |
| Country | China |
| Current position | Postdoc research fellow – Coulter lab, QUB |
| PhD area | Elevating intracellular oxygen using tumour metabolism suppressing nanoparticles |
| Name | Jie Feng |
| Years of study | 2019 - 2022 |
| Country | China |
| Current position | Postdoc research fellow – Coulter lab, QUB |
| PhD area | Development of a cell cycle computational model predicting outcome to novel nanotherapeutics |
| Name | Chris Emerson |
| Years of study | 2016 - 2020 |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Current position | Celerion Clinical Trials - Data programmer |
Discover More
Funding
- Prostate Cancer UK – Research Innovation Award:
- Prostate Cancer UK – PhD studentship:
- Higher Education Authority – North/South Stage 1 – Collaboration with UCD – Dr Susan Quinn – Title: Targeted gold (Au) nanocomposites as cancer radiosensitisers:
- Invest NI Proof of Concept - TRACER - TaRgeted gold (Au) nanoparticles as CancEr Radiosensitisers
- Research career overview:
Media
- Belfast Live – Grant announcement
- Irish News -
- The Mail -
Associated Research Centre or Institute
- CATcH - Centre for Advanced Technologies for Healthcare