Pathologie & Medische Biologie
The PhD student will be working within the
Department of Pathology & Medical Biology, in close collaboration with the department of Pulmonology of the University Medical Center Groningen and the Department of Developmental BioEngineering of the University of Twente. According to the World Health Organization, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
(COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. To date, no curative treatment options are available for COPD patients, and existing treatments are focused on increasing the quality of life.
A new potential treatment option for COPD patients is the endoscopic application of lung tissue sealant to remove trapped air from the affected lung regions, and thereby increase the functionality of healthy lung regions. Currently available sealants are highly toxic or rapidly degradable. Therefore, within this project novel adhesives will be developed at the University of Twente. The PhD student at the UMCG will test the biological effects and functionality of the novel fully synthetic sealants using state-of-the-art human lung based in vitro and ex vivo models. The goal is to develop a bronchoscopically applied sealant, with minimal toxicity and longevity in the lung to reduce air-trapping in hyperinflated lung areas and thus provide an immediate increase in functional lung capacity for COPD patients.