Improving Parkinson’s Therapy: A Novel Controlled Release Delivery System

About this opportunity

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that significantly affects the quality of life of patients. Levodopa, also called L-Dopa, remains the gold standard treatment. However, its clinical efficacy is limited by short half-life and multiple dosing requirements. Multiple dosing is often inconvenient for patients and reduces patient compliance. The proposed PhD project focuses on the development of novel controlled-release systems for L-Dopa in Parkinson’s disease.  The development of novel controlled release system represents a significant advancement in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which affects over 12,000 New Zealanders. 

A strong academic background in pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline. A competitive GPA and evidence of research experience or industrial experience. Prior research experience and publication as a first author would be a significant advantage. 

Applicants must be eligible to enroll for PhD study at the University of Waikato.