Developing drug-delivery strategies to prevent tissue injury and death in livestock following snakebites
Supervisors:
Dr Steven Hall, Lancaster University
Dr Amy Saunders, Lancaster University
Prof Ryan Donnelly , Queens University Belfast
Summary:
Snakebite envenoming in livestock is an under-reported and economically devastating reality faced by agricultural workers globally, worsening an already precarious food supply chain in many rural tropical communities. Understanding how snake venoms work is the first step to developing new therapies for this neglected tropical disease followed by the development of inexpensive and rapidly acting drug delivery devices to stop the action of the venom as quickly as possible.
This PhD studentship explores how various snake venoms induce their tissue damaging properties and how drug delivery devices, such as transdermal microneedle patches, could be developed to deliver life and tissue saving inhibitors of snake venom toxins directly into the snakebite wound quickly after the bite occurs.
This studentship will provide the student with multidisciplinary training within biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxinology, immunology and pharmaceutical science. The student will learn valuable skills in data acquisition, analysis, and visualisation. They will have opportunities to present their findings orally in platform and poster presentations and write manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals. This comprehensive training will ensure that the student is well-equipped and competitive for a range of careers they may choose to pursue upon completion.