“We are delighted both with the decision by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to fund our ambitious research programme and the pharmaceutical industry support that has enthusiastically embraced 2D material technologies as particularly promising,” said Professor Kostas Kostarelos.
In this project, graphene will be exploited for the design and engineering of innovative solutions for specific unmet clinical needs, in areas such as wound care and management which is relevant to diabetes; neural rehabilitation by electrical stimulation for cases of dementia; cell therapeutics for ophthalmological and cardiovascular disease; and immunotherapeutics in cases of cancer.
Specific areas of benefit using graphene and other 2D materials could include targeted drug delivery systems to attack cancer cells while leaving other cells unharmed; the remote electrical stimulation of nerves affected by neurodegenerative and other diseases, such as diabetes; or smart dressings for burns and wounds to allow faster healing and minimise damage to tissue.
The other research programmes will be led by Imperial College London, the University of Leeds, and University of Glasgow.