Polymer Institute
Topic
Development of textiles with antibacterial activity for protection and faster wound healing.
PhD. program
Technology of Polymer Materials.
Year of admission
2024
Name of the supervisor
Ing. Alena Opálková Šišková, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology STU
Annotation
The skin is the largest organ of the human body with various functions. Infections of damaged skin or conditions such as diabetes often complicate the healing process, leading to chronic wounds. Bioactive phytocompounds are important and often used therapeutic compounds, primarily due to their antimicrobial activity. The proposed theme aims to prepare fibrous dressing materials with incorporated phytocompounds extracted from plants grown in organic farming in Slovakia. These are compounds that are present, for example, in lady's mantle (alchemilla xanthochlora), Canadian goldenrod (solidago canadensis), etc. It is expected that the PhD student will acquire knowledge and skills in the preparation of materials using electrospinning technology, in the characterization of materials she/he will use microscopy methods (OM, SEM, TEM), thermal analysis methods (TGA, DSC), spectrometric (SEM-EDX, FTIR) and mechanical methods (tensile tests, DMA), or X-ray diffraction (XRD). Part of the work will be testing of manufactured materials, i.e. monitoring the effect of phytocompounds released from flat non-woven fabrics on wound healing using in vitro skin models (keratinocyte and fibroblast cell lines, 3D models of healthy and psoriatic skin). We will focus on the effects of selected phytocompounds on the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts; their antioxidant and immunomodulating properties, as well as intercellular interactions within more sophisticated in vitro models (co-cultures, spheroids, tissue models). In addition, the antimicrobial activity of selected phytocompounds will be evaluated using a panel of the most common skin pathogens in cooperation with the Biomedical Center SAV, v.v.i.
PhD student is expected to have general knowledge in the field of polymer chemistry, material engineering, and characterization methods, a good command of the English language, spoken and written, the ability to work in an international team, flexibility, independence, and willingness to travel to participate in international conferences and short-term or long-term internships.
The dissertation will be solved in cooperation with the Slovak company Training & Consulting, s.r.o. (Žilina, SK), which is a potential recipient of research results based on the contract on research and development cooperation as well as in cooperation with other institutions in Slovakia and abroad. The work will be supported by basic research projects and projects of international scientific and technical cooperation.
PhD student is expected to have general knowledge in the field of polymer chemistry, material engineering, and characterization methods, a good command of the English language, spoken and written, the ability to work in an international team, flexibility, independence, and willingness to travel to participate in international conferences and short-term or long-term internships.
The dissertation will be solved in cooperation with the Slovak company Training & Consulting, s.r.o. (Žilina, SK), which is a potential recipient of research results based on the contract on research and development cooperation as well as in cooperation with other institutions in Slovakia and abroad. The work will be supported by basic research projects and projects of international scientific and technical cooperation.