Faculty: Health, Medicine and Social Care
Supervisors: Prof Mohammad Najlah ([email protected]); Dr Irfan Bashir ([email protected]; Dr Ayse Kaya (external)
Location: Chelmsford
Match-funded by: Detoxpeople Ltd
Apply online by 8 February 2026We strongly recommend contacting the supervisors for this project for a discussion prior to applying.
Developing effective cancer therapies remains a major global challenge, particularly for tumours that are resistant to conventional chemotherapy. One promising direction is the use of highly selective, low-toxicity compounds that exploit tumour biochemistry. Our group has recently developed a new class of sugar-linked diethyldithiocarbamate (Sa-DDC) anticancer compounds, designed to overcome the limitations of disulfiram and its metabolites while retaining their potent, copper-dependent tumour-killing activity.
These novel compounds, protected by a patent application, are derived from safe nutraceutical precursors, exhibit strong anticancer activity, and offer high solubility, improved plasma stability, and scalable synthesis. Early studies suggest they act as prodrugs, releasing the active copper complex selectively at tumour sites while remaining stable in the bloodstream.
However, despite their favourable solubility and safety profile, these Sa-DDC compounds face a major translational barrier: poor permeability across epithelial and tumour cell membranes. This limits intracellular delivery and therefore reduces therapeutic activity in vivo. The central goal of this PhD project is to overcome this barrier through the development of advanced nanocarrier systems capable of enhancing cellular uptake, transport across biological barriers, and delivery of this highly promising sugar-linked anticancer candidate.
Nanocarrier systems have transformed modern drug delivery by enabling controlled release, protection from degradation, and improved accumulation of therapeutics in tumours. For hydrophilic small molecules, lipid-based nanocarriers can enable entry into cells through endocytosis and facilitate passage across epithelial barriers that they would not otherwise traverse.
This project integrates formulation science, nanotechnology, cancer biology, and translational pharmaceutics. It is ideally suited to a motivated candidate interested in developing the next generation of cancer therapeutics, working at the interface of nanomedicine, pharmaceutical chemistry, and clinical translation.
To design, optimise, and evaluate nanocarrier formulations, including liposomes and lipid nanocapsules, that significantly enhance the permeability and anticancer performance of a hydrophilic, copper-activated Sa-DDC compound.
The student will:
This PhD is based in the pharmaceutics and nanomedicine laboratories at ARU (Chelmsford campus), with access to our pharmaceutical research lab and SuperLab facilities such as:
The project is delivered in collaboration with GMPriority Pharma, who will provide access to additional specialised equipment, materials, and R&D mentorship. The student will have opportunities for industry visits, exposure to GMP-aligned workflows, and direct engagement with industrial formulation scientists – valuable preparation for careers in biotech and pharmaceutical R&D.
By the end of the PhD, the scholar will have:
We welcome applications from candidates with qualifications in:
The successful applicant for this project will receive a Vice Chancellor’s PhD Scholarship which covers the tuition fees and provides a UKRI equivalent minimum annual stipend for 3.5 years. For 2025/6 this was £20,780 per year. The award is subject to the successful candidate meeting the scholarship terms and conditions. Please note that the University asserts the right to claim any intellectual property generated by research it funds.