3 years PhD position in Polymeric Biomaterials Sciences (Application closed)

Conception of Bioresorbable Self-Rolled Patchs for the Local Treatment of Inflammation Induced in the Colon after Irradiation  (OPENN)

financed by the French National Agency for Reseach (ANR)

Pelvic cancers are among the most frequently diagnosed cancers worldwide. Radiotherapy (RT) plays a growing place in the management of malignant pelvic diseases. Even though great advances have been made in RT delivery techniques, radiation exposure of significant volumes of normal bowel persists impacting on the patient’s quality of life after-treatment.

The objective of OPENN is to develop a biodegradable self-rolled/ self-unrolled bilayered patch that could be applied locally by colonoscopy without surgical intervention to treat alterations of colonic tissue induced by radiotherapy.

This smart patch will offer major benefits: (i) act as a dressing that could act as synthetic barrier against colonic luminal pathogens, (ii) be loaded either with molecules (anti-inflammatory-AI) or cells (mesenchymal stromal cells-MSC) that could diffuse/release bioactive molecules near the ulcerated zone, (iii) its bilayered nature will permit a targeted unidirectional release toward the ulcerated zone, (iv) its controlled resorption will participate to the fine tuning of the drug delivery, and (v) the use of a self-rolled patch will facilitate the placement into the colon by surgeons, while its unrolling will help its fixation on the inflamed colon wall.

This highly interdisciplinary project will be carried out in the Department of Polymers for Health and Biomaterials (PHBM) of the Institute of Biomolecules Max Mousseron (IBMM) in Montpellier-France, under the supervision of Pr. Benjamin Nottelet. PHBM has extensive experience in the domain of degradable polymers for medical devices and controlled release systems. As part of an ANR project, OPENN will be conducted in close collaborations with Dr. Danielle Noël and her team from the “Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire” (IRSN) and Dr. Karine Anselme from the “Institut de Science des Matériaux de Mulhouse” (IS2M).

In this PhD, you will be in charge of developing the biomaterials and evaluate the resulting patch in collaboration with the colleagues of IS2M and IRSN. The tasks will be divided as follows:

– synthesis of degradable photocurable polymers for hydrogels and for elastomers

– processing of the photocurable polymers

– pre-evaluation of the patch properties

– loading of the patch with drugs

– pre-evaluation of drug release

– biocompatibility evaluations

– evaluation of the degradation

The position is opened from March 2020.

Keywords: Implantable medical device, degradable elastomers, degradable hydrogels, controlled drug release, wound dressings, polymer chemistry

Skills: Materials science, physical chemistry of polymers, chemistry, English

Duration and location: 3 years, IBMM-Polymers for Health and Biomaterials, Montpellier, FR

Supervisor and contact: Pr. Benjamin Nottelet Benjamin.Nottelet@umontpellier.fr

Please send your detailed CV, marks from the last two years of studies and at least two emails of reference persons.