Skip to Content

Combination drug strategies for treatment of aerobic vaginitis

School of Pharmacy | PHD
Funding
Unfunded
Reference Number
PMY/2251/KM5
Application Deadline
None specified
Start Date
None specified

Overview

This is an exemplar PhD project co-supervised by Dr. Fiona Furlong and Prof. Karl Malcolm. No funding has yet been secured for the project. We particularly welcome applications from students (including international students) who are willing and able to self-fund their PhD, UK/EU applicants for DfE studentship application, and Chinese applicants with a Masters degree for the China Scholarship Council (CSC)–QUB co-founded PhD studentship (to be launched in Jan/Feb 2024).

Aerobic vaginitis is a dysbiotic condition of the human vagina associated with overgrowth of certain endogenous bacteria. The condition is characterized by vaginal inflammation, atrophy of the vaginal epithelium, and a vaginal microflora with increased levels of aerobic bacteria (such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) and decreased levels of lactobacilli. Current treatment regimens include administration of topical hydrocortisone to treat inflammation and topical or oral antibiotics (such as kanamycin or clindamycin) to eradicate the pathogenic bacteria.
In this project, we will develop and test new combination drug products – containing hydrocortisone, an antibiotic and lactic acid – as potential new treatment options. Specifically, we will develop and test both a sustained release vaginal gel formulation and a controlled release vaginal ring formulation, and then compare their in vitro performance with selected marketed products.
In the formulation / drug delivery component of the project, we will design, prepare and characterize the gel and ring formulations, to include (i) testing of gel viscosity, (ii) mechanical testing of the ring, (iii) development of HPLC assays for drug quantification, (iv) in vitro release testing, (v) assessment of drug-drug interactions (using DSC), and other experiments.
In the pharmacological component of the study, we will develop the hen's egg test chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) assay as a bacterial model for aerobic vaginitis, ultimately using it to assess the candidate gel and ring formulations for extended anti-bacterial activity.

Project Summary
Supervisor

Professor Karl Malcolm

More Information

k.malcolm@qub.ac.uk

Research Profile

Mode of Study

Full-time: 3 years

Apply now Register your interest