PhD Study : The effects of biosurfactants as bioactives and/or adjuvants for combating inflammatory acne

Apply and key information  

Summary

The skin microbiome is complex, comprising a multiplicity of species that colonise distinct skin areas with different ecological properties. While these organisms normally promote skin health, they can also cause opportunistic infection. The chronic, inflammatory and recurrent skin condition acne vulgaris, commonly referred to as acne, is a disease of the pilosebaceous unit (hair, hair follicle, erector pili muscle and sebaceous gland) and, strikingly, the eighth most prevalent disease globally, affecting approximately 10% of the world’s population [1]. The anaerobic skin bacterium Cutibacterium acnes is believed to play a pivotal role in the inflammatory phase of acne lesion development and, as a consequence, topical and oral antibiotics have been widely used, often for months at a time, to treat the condition [2].

This has now led to the development of C. acnes strains that are resistant to first line antibiotic therapies [3]. The emergence of such ‘super-bug’ strains is extremely alarming, raising the possibility that in the near-future patients will not respond to conventional antibiotics currently used to manage the condition. Indeed, patients with severe and recalcitrant forms of the condition due to multi-drug resistant strains are already being referred to secondary and tertiary care settings for specialised treatment. Even more worrisome is that some of these patients are also non-responsive to oral retinoids, possibly due to the enhanced capacity of these resistant strains to form biofilms and/ or survive intracellularly. As a consequence, new treatment strategies for acne that can eliminate, or increase the effectiveness of antibiotics at lower doses, especially as topical formulations are urgently required.

Microbial biosurfactants, which are amphiphilic surface-active agents, have many bioactivities, including anti-bacterial, anti-cancer and possibly anti-inflammatory properties, which sets them apart from many of the purely chemical surfactants [4-7]. At Ulster University, microbial biosurfactant research is a longstanding focus of interest and, consequently, we are well placed to investigate microbial biosurfactants as potentially novel, topical treatments for acne.

As a consequence, the main aims of this project are:

  1. To screen the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of microbial biosurfactants against a Biobank of highly characterized multi-drug resistant strains of C. acnes isolated from patients with severe recalcitrant papulopustular and nodular acne.
  2. To investigate if microbial biosurfactants could be used synergistically with common acne antibiotics to reduce the effective topical dose of the latter against antibiotic sensitive ‘acnegenic’ strains.
  3. To ascertain if microbial biosurfactants would have any acute and chronic effects on human skin keratinocyte and sebocyte cells (pro-inflammatory activity and cytotoxicity) using cell culture and skin models.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

  • Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal
  • Clearly defined research proposal detailing background, research questions, aims and methodology

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

  • Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
  • Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
  • Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal
  • Work experience relevant to the proposed project
  • Publications record appropriate to career stage
  • Experience of presentation of research findings
  • A comprehensive and articulate personal statement
  • Relevant professional qualification and/or a Degree in a Health or Health related area

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

  • Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
  • Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
  • Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

  • Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
  • Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
  • Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
  • Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living

Recommended reading

1.Hay, RJ, Johns NE, Williams HC, et al. The global burden of skin disease in 2010: an analysis of the prevalence and impact of skin conditions. J. Invest. Dermatol. 2014, 134, 1527-1534.

2.Sinha M, Sadhasivam S, Bhattacharyya A, et al. Antibiotic-resistant acne: getting under the skin. Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2016, 35, 62-67

3.McLaughlin J, Watterson S, Layton AM, et al. Propionibacterium acnes and acne vulgaris: new insights from the integration of population genetic, multi-omic, biochemical and host-microbe studies. Microorganisms 2019, 7, 128.

4.M Elshikh; R Marchant; I M Banat (2016). Biosurfactants: promising bioactive molecules for oral-related health applications. FEMS Microbiology Letters 2016 363 (18): fnw213;  doi: 10.1093/femsle/fnw213.

5.M A  Diaz De Rienzo, B Dolman, F Guzman, C Kaisermann, J Winterburn, I M Banat, Peter Martin (2014). Antimicrobial properties of sophorolipids produced by Candida Bombicola ATCC 22214 against gram positive and Gram-negative bacteria. New Biotechnology  31: S66-S67. Doi: 10.1016/j.nbt.2014.05.1764

6.H L Lydon,  N Baccile,  B Callaghan,  R Marchant,  C  A. Mitchell, I M Banat (2017). Adjuvant antibiotic activity of acidic sophorolipids with potential for facilitating wound healing. Antimicrobial Agents Chemotherapy, 61:e02547-16. https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.02547-16

7.I M Banat, M A Díaz De Rienzo and G A Quinn (2014). Microbial biofilms: biosurfactants as antibiofilm agents. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 98: 9915–9929. DOI: 10.1007/s00253-014-6169-6.

The Doctoral College at Ulster University

Key dates

Submission deadline
Friday 5 February 2021
12:00AM

Interview Date
Weeks commencing 15th and 22nd March 2021

Preferred student start date
Mid-September 2021

Applying

Apply Online  

Contact supervisor

Professor Ibrahim Banat

Other supervisors