Research Interests

Open to PhD applications in the field of:

• Nanopharmaceuticals
• High-Z radiosensitisers
• Tumour metabolism
• Tumour microenvironment
• Targeted delivery
• Radiopharmaceuticals
• Radiobiology
• Targeted Immunotherapy

Make a PhD enquiry

Current Research Opportunities

• Countering the proteinase-activated receptor 1 (PAR-1) pro-tumour phenotype using a novel nanotherapeutic approach
• Developing and characterising novel targeted nanocomposites serving as adjuvants to existing standard-of-care cancer treatments

Public outreach & key achievements

• Co-founder and Director of BXTA Nanotherapy, QUB Joint Venture company
• Prostate Cancer UK funding: https://prostatecanceruk.org/research/research-we-fund/ria19-st2-008
• Prostate Cancer UK funding: https://prostatecanceruk.org/research/research-we-fund/s14-004
• MRC Confidence in Concept – Anti-inflammatory radiosensitising gold nanoparticles for the treatment of prostate cancer
• EPSRC – Nanoengineered microneedle arrays for enhanced plasmonic photothermal therapy of basal cell carcinoma – EP/P034063/1
• EPSRC - Improving patient outcome by integrating the generic with the personal – EPSRC EP/K039342/1

Research students

PhD area	Developing novel polymeric delivery systems to modifying tumour metabolism increasing sensitivity to radiotherapy
Name	Zelin Tan
Years of study	2024 - 2027
Country	China
PhD area	Evaluating radiation bystander and abscopal effects conferred by novel nanoparticle formulations
Name	Lydia McQuoid
Years of study	2022 - 2025
Country	United Kingdom
PhD area	Elucidating the impact of attenuated CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling in prostate cancer
Name	Xinyi Liu
Years of study	2021 - 2024
Country	China
PhD area	A nanotherapeutic approach to inhibiting hedgehog signaling in brain cancer
Name	Bayan Ahmed A Alkhaldi
Years of study	2021 - 2024
Country	Saudi Arabia

Alumni: Where are they now

PhD area	PSMA targeted gold nanoparticles as effective prostate cancer radiosensitisers
Name	Cancan Yin
Years of study	2019 - 2022
Country	China
Current position	Postdoc research fellow – Wellcome-Wolfson Institute For Experimental Medicine, QUB
PhD area	Exploiting hyperactive glucose transporters: a targeting mechanism for drug loaded nanoparticles
Name	Tongchuan Wang
Years of study	2019 - 2022
Country	China
Current position	Postdoc research fellow – Coulter lab, QUB
PhD area	Elevating intracellular oxygen using tumour metabolism suppressing nanoparticles
Name	Jie Feng
Years of study	2019 - 2022
Country	China
Current position	Postdoc research fellow – Coulter lab, QUB
PhD area	Development of a cell cycle computational model predicting outcome to novel nanotherapeutics
Name	Chris Emerson
Years of study	2016 - 2020
Country	Northern Ireland
Current position	Celerion Clinical Trials - Data programmer

Discover More

Funding

• Prostate Cancer UK – Research Innovation Award: https://prostatecanceruk.org/research/research-we-fund/ria19-st2-008
• Prostate Cancer UK – PhD studentship: https://prostatecanceruk.org/research/research-we-fund/s14-004
• Higher Education Authority – North/South Stage 1 – Collaboration with UCD – Dr Susan Quinn – Title: Targeted gold (Au) nanocomposites as cancer radiosensitisers: https://tinyurl.com/yuyfu6ta
• Invest NI Proof of Concept - TRACER - TaRgeted gold (Au) nanoparticles as CancEr Radiosensitisers
• Research career overview: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jonathan_Coulter

Media

• https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/122373d7-e4f0-48c5-bfc1-3b0ef70eff9e
• Belfast Live – Grant announcement https://tinyurl.com/yc2e7uur
• Irish News - https://tinyurl.com/mtz858vh
• The Mail - https://tinyurl.com/2p8xbf6w

Associated Research Centre or Institute

• CATcH - Centre for Advanced Technologies for Healthcare