为应用性设计：用于抗微生物感染性呼吸道感染的金纳米星增强型侧向流动诊断试剂

该项目旨在开发一种超灵敏、无电力驱动的侧向流动检测技术，以快速识别呼吸道感染病原体及耐药标志物。该研究方法将等离子体金纳米点与电动力聚焦技术相结合，同时通过与 MHRA 合作，探讨诊断系统整合中的挑战，从而助力医疗体系的优化。

Job description: Details: Abstract: Improper prescribing of antibiotics for viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs) provides no clinical benefit, can negatively impact microbiomes, and is a driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Provision of rapid, point-of-care diagnostics would support antimicrobial stewardship, but the tests must be fit for purpose from both a diagnostic and system-alignment perspective. Lateral flow assays (LFAs), the technology behind home COVID tests, are quick, cheap and simple, but not yet sensitive enough for early detection of an infection, when pathogen levels are low. In this project you will engineer a power-free, low-resource, ultrasensitive LFA for RTI pathogens and resistance markers, combining plasmonic gold nanostars with salt-gradient-driven electrokinetic focusing. But a better test is only half the challenge; many promising diagnostics fail commercially due to a lack of healthcare system alignment. To address this, you will work with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) AMR Innovation Support Team . Through two placements hosted by MHRA, the student will learn about the challenges facing diagnostics uptake in the UK and in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to inform both the product design and the market access strategy. Approach and Methods: The project has two strands that run alongside each other and shape one another. Technology development (UCL) The student will develop a scalable synthesis of gold nanostars and tune their optical and surface properties to give strong signal amplification and robust LFA integration. They will characterise them by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS), induced coupled plasma (ICP), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). They will design and fabricate new LFA architectures in which electrokinetic effects drive the accumulation of nanostar–analyte complexes at the test line without any power source. Prototyping of the device will use laser cutting and 3D printing. Finally, prototypes will be tested for rapid (<20 min), multiplexed detection of a panel of bacterial (e.g., Streptococcus pneumoniae) and viral (e.g., influenza) respiratory pathogens together with associated resistance markers. Performance will be quantified with digital image analysis and Python-based data processing. Translation (MHRA-hosted placements) The student will map the UK regulatory and health-system route for this type of device and identify where it could fit in current and future clinical pathways. They will also investigate supply chain management (SCM), infrastructure, and health-system barriers to diagnostics access in an exemplar low- or middle-income country to identify barriers to address. Impact and Outlook: A rapid, sensitive and instrument-free test for RTIs could help clinicians in GP surgeries and community diagnostic hubs and A&E tell bacterial from viral infections at the first consultation. That would reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, improve patient care and strengthen community AMR surveillance. Because the device needs no power or reader, it is also well suited to low-resource settings, where the burden of AMR is greatest. However, it is important that the implementation strategy is aligned to system needs. The student’s translational work will have impact of its own; their findings will feed directly into ongoing work at the MHRA; the AMR Innovation Support Team (AMRIST) at the MRHA Science Campus is working to understand barriers to the adoption of AMR innovations in the UK and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The combined technology platform could later be adapted to other infections. The student will graduate with a rare combination of engineering, regulatory, and systems expertise that is valued across academia, the diagnostics industry, and global health organisations. Training and Student Development: At UCL, the student will gain hands-on expertise in nanoparticle synthesis and characterisation, nanoscale and interface science, microfluidics, LFA design and fabrication, and quantitative image and data analysis in Python. Funded attendance at international conferences will allow the student to develop communication skills and build a network of academic, industry and healthcare professionals. Research Environment: The student will join two complementary, interdisciplinary groups. Prof ［会员专属信息］’s group at the Royal Institution of Great Britain is a world leader in nanoparticle synthesis and characterisation. Dr Bolognesi’s group at UCL Chemistry specialises in colloid science and lateral flow diagnostics, and works closely with a leading developer of LFA technologies. Both supervisors hold weekly group meetings and regular one-to-one meetings to ensure their group members are well supported, both on a professional and personal level. They serve on Royal Society of Chemistry and Institute of Physics committees and on international journal boards. These roles give the student extensive networking opportunities. State-of-the-art fabrication and analytical facilities are available at UCL and the Royal Institution.

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