Katharina Clitherow, Oral Diseases

Katharina researched and developed a mucoadhesive drug delivery patch, to be used as an oral mucosal wound dressing and local treatment for a wide range of oral diseases, under the supervision of Professor Paul Hatton at the School of Clinical Dentistry.

“Having the opportunity to do both an abroad university placement and an internship at the Danish company that part sponsored my PhD has been highly valuable to me. These placements have not only given me additional research skills and business awareness, but also taught me how to work with large groups of people with very diverse skill sets.”

Katharina grew up in Oxfordshire, where she went to an international school and was brought up bilingual in English and German. After studying an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, Katharina became very interested in medical device development and specialised in medical engineering related modules.

Katharina adds, “I’m proud that my PhD has been part of the Polymer Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Sheffield and is linked with an industrial sponsor and partner, therefore my research is very translational and addresses an existing medical need to improve local drug delivery for oral diseases.”

Katharina has recently published work on the use polymeric materials on treating oral diseases and how the drug lidocaine could be used as an anaesthetic prior to dental treatments, as well as a potential analgesic for ulcerative conditions in the oral cavity.

Katharina is currently preparing a project to be published on the success of using medium-chain fatty acids to kill Candida albicans yeast and treat oral candidiasis, and has plans to work in industry within the medical device/pharmaceuticals field.

“It’s important to find a project you are passionate about, and make sure to use all the opportunities a PhD presents, such as drawing on different academic expertise and working with a variety of people.”