Mahnoor Kadri is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Chemistry, King’s College London, where she is supervised by Professor Martin Ulmschneider. Prior to this, Mahnoor obtained her MSci degree in Chemistry at King’s College London. During her MSci, she was awarded a Research Fellowship based on her internship with Dr Maria Sanz. 

Thesis title and abstract

Polymeric Nanoparticles for Enhanced Brain Cancer Therapy

The treatment of brain cancer is especially difficult due to its invasive nature and the need to overcome the obstacle presented by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Utilising polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) is a promising strategy to surpass the BBB and selectively deliver cargo at the brain tumour site. Computational and experimental methods can be used to evaluate the therapeutic effects of NPs and their cargo against brain cancer. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provide an insightful understanding of the behaviour of polymeric NPs, and experimental techniques can be used to complement and verify the computational findings. This interdisciplinary approach aims to provide valuable insights into the efficacy of NP drug delivery systems for brain cancer treatment.

Research interests

• Nanotechnology for brain cancer treatment
• Drug delivery
• Anticancer peptides

The project involves evaluating the cellular uptake and selectivity of polymeric nanoparticles with cancerous and healthy brain cells. An emphasis is placed on understanding the role of lipid composition in the targeting ability of polymeric NPs and their cargo. This is achieved through conducting molecular dynamics simulations of NPs and their cargo with realistic membrane compositions to provide details on their molecular and atomic-level interactions. Alongside this, experimental studies are carried out into the toxicity and selectivity of the systems for brain cancer.

Supervisor

• Professor Martin Ulmschneider