This project aims to design and test a low-cost, highly sensitive and selective optical fibre sensor for testosterone, based on testosterone-recognising molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) combined with lossy mode resonance (LMR) structures. Optical fibre (OF) sensing has attracted great attention in the last years due to the benefits that it offers compared to traditional electronic sensors. Some of these benefits are small size, biocompatibility and immunity to electromagnetic fields. Among all OF sensors topologies, those based on spectral techniques are the most sensitive and robust. Specifically, OF sensors based on electromagnetic resonances - i. e., surface plasmon resonance (SPR) or LMR - have become a standard in the last years due to their high performance. The exciting potential of LMR-based sensors is combined in this proposal with bio-mimetic polymer technology in order to develop a new generation of sensors with defined chemical specificity. With this aim, the following specific objectives have been established: - To design and optimise the MIP formulations for the binding of testosterone while supporting and enhancing LMRs. - To characterise the properties of the MIPs regarding their structure, orientation and physical and chemical stability. - To study and optimise different deposition methods to coat the OF device with the selected polymer in order to obtain a testosterone sensor. - To model the OF sensor in order to predict its features and the optimum configuration. - To study the sensors’ response to different concentrations of testosterone in samples, evaluating its sensitivity, stability and selectivity. - To develop a small, light and low-cost system for the sensor in order to explore its commercial potential. The methodology and results obtained from this multidisciplinary project represents a generic strategy and will allow the future development of a range of new OF sensors for the detection of other substances of interest.

Skeletal muscle mass and strength decline with age: this process can begin as early as age 30. This can cause sarcopenia, defined as low muscle mass plus low muscle strength or physical performance, which increases the risk of frailty and falls. Prevalence of sarcopenia is predicted to rise dramatically due to ageing western populations. Malnutrition is associated with sarcopenia; therefore, nutritional interventions have been considered for prevention or treatment. Several plant-based nutrients, including vitamin C, may protect against sarcopenia, but research in this area is limited. As we age our muscles can become less efficient at producing energy from the foods we eat, and inflammation increases. These processes may contribute to the development of sarcopenia. How nutrition influences these processes, and whether this leads to improved muscle mass or function, requires urgent attention. I will explore associations between dietary components, blood biomarkers, and sarcopenic indices in population datasets using cross-sectional analyses, and conduct a pilot study to investigate whether vitamin C supplementation can improve measures of inflammation and skeletal muscle strength and function. This research will strengthen evidence whether specific dietary components may prevent sarcopenia, and help us understand the underlying mechanisms, leading to the development of preventive nutritional strategies.

This project aims to apply synthetic biology and metabolic engineering strategies to one of the most complex biochemical pathways found in nature in order to address a current need for a cheaper and more reliable source of vitamin B12, the so-called anti-pernicious anaemia factor. Vitamin B12 is a cobalt-containing molecule that acts as a coenzyme and cofactor for a number of key biological processes. It is unique among the vitamins in that it is made solely by prokaryotes but is retained by many eukaryotes as a nutrient because of the greatly improved rates of reaction observed with B12-dependent enzymes in comparison to B12-independent processes. Vitamin B12 is a structurally complex molecule and this is reflected in an equally complex biochemical pathway. This collaborative project seeks to provide new key fundamental insights into the operations of the B12 biosynthetic pathway and at the same time lead to the construction of a strong B12-overproduction strain.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at www.rcuk.ac.uk/StudentshipTerminology. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.