"Wet" macular degeneration and related retinal diseases are a leading cause of sight loss, impacting 570,000 people in UK and at least 96M worldwide. Existing protein drugs cost the NHS over £447M per year but the bigger issue is the clinical resource bottleneck created by the need for ophthalmologists to inject the drugs (anti-VEGF) into the eye every 1-2 months. Patients find injections and clinic visits detrimental to quality of life and each injection carries a low, though cumulative, risk of serious complications. There is an urgent need, therefore, to develop injectable drug-release depots to give extended temporal release profiles over a period of at least 6 months. The objective of this PhD project is to meet this challenge and will do this by exploring the potential of natural polymeric hydrogels to encapsulate and deliver anti-VEGF therapeutics in a controlled and timely manner and determine their ability to extend release profiles. The project will go on to evaluate in vitro the pharmacokinetic, efficacy and safety of the most promising series of hydrogel-therapeutic depots. Specific objectives of the project include the following: Preparation and formulation of a range of natural polymeric hydrogel materials encapsulating an anti-VEGF therapeutic drug and material characterisation including spectroscopy, microscopy and oscillatory rheometry Rigorously test the ability of the hydrogel-drug depot to release the anti-VEGF drug over prolonged time periods Customise and test an artificial eye environment to explore the drug release profile under controlled flow and agitation conditions Explore the activity and efficacy of the anti-VEGF drugs released using analytical and cell-based assays Undertake initial safety risk-management through cellular toxicity studies This PhD project is highly interdisciplinary and will involve close collaboration between material scientists and an ophthalmic clinician. It would suit a student with a background in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacy, materials or a related subject and with a desire to work at the interface between disciplines. The project will provide opportunities for training in aspects of  material design, characterisation and cell biology and pharmacokinetics and all training will be given. In addition the student will gain an insight into the clinical translational pathway for new medical devices.  The project will be hosted by three well-established and collegiate research groups, with complementary expertise that spans the full breadth of the project. www.polymersandpeptides.co.uk Eligibility Applicants must have obtained or be about to obtain a minimum Upper Second class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in a relevant discipline.  Before you Apply Applicants must make direct contact with preferred supervisors before applying. It is your responsibility to make arrangements to meet with potential supervisors, prior to submitting a formal online application.  How to Apply To be considered for this project you MUST submit a formal online application form – on the application form you must select MRC DTP PhD Programme. If you select the incorrect programme your application cannot be considered. Full details on how to apply can be found on the MRC DTP website. Your application form must be accompanied by a number of supporting documents by the advertised deadlines. Without all the required documents submitted at the time of application, your application will not be processed and we cannot accept responsibility for late or missed deadlines. Incomplete applications will not be considered.  If you have any queries regarding making an application, please contact our admissions team.  Equality, Diversity and Inclusion  Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. The full Equality, diversity and inclusion statement can be found on the website.