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Healthcare technologies

We integrate biological principles with physical and engineering sciences to develop innovative solutions for medical challenges to enhance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases, as well as to improve patient care and healthcare delivery systems. This interdisciplinary approach leverages the understanding of biological systems at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels to create advanced diagnostic tools, therapeutic devices, and monitoring systems.

We have strong collaborations with the Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (LICAMM) and the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine (LIRMM) at the School of Medicine, the School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Leeds Institute of Medical Research (LIMR) at Saint James’ Hospital, enhancing the impact and clinical relevance of our work.

Example projects include:

For drug delivery, our research on microbubbles combined with ultrasound focuses on advanced imaging and theranostic (therapeutic + diagnostic) applications. This technology enhances blood-tissue permeability, enabling targeted drug delivery and improved diagnostic imaging. We also explore the unique properties of hydrogels as drug delivery systems, studying their structure, diffusion, and applications in controlled drug release. Additionally, we design all-enzyme functional biomaterials for biomedical applications, including tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Our team also works on electrochemical sensors for detecting various analytes in clinical and environmental samples, offering high sensitivity and rapid response times.

At the single-cell level, we use label-free techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, second harmonic generation (SHG), two-photon fluorescence (TPF), and autofluorescence for histopathological analysis, providing detailed insights into tissue structure and composition. Our work on deformation cytometry involves developing microfluidic devices to analyse the mechanical properties of cells, particularly in the context of cancer progression and mechanosensing. We develop organ-on-a-chip models of disease to study how human tissue responds to therapy, with applications in personalised medicine.

Our team’s expertise in nanotechnology has applications in biosensing, diagnostics, and photothermal therapy. Our lateral flow devices aim to provide rapid and cost-effective diagnostics for detecting various biomarkers in clinical settings, making use of the unique properties of different nanomaterials. We utilise quantum dots for advanced sensing applications, including cellular assays and cancer detection, offering high sensitivity and specificity. Our research on superselective targeting of glycans focuses on enhancing the specificity and efficacy of cancer treatments by targeting the overexpression of certain glycans by cancer cells. We also use liquid crystal droplets for biosensing applications, such as developing lipid-coated liquid crystal droplets as self-amplifying systems for detecting bacterial infections.

Academics working in this area: