Understanding the link between odorous thioalcohol generation and axillary microbiome bacteria at the molecular level

Description

Axillary malodour is driven by volatile fatty acids (VFAs), thioalcohols and steroids, which are all by-products of the microbial biotransformation of odourless precursor molecules originating from the apocrine gland.  Thioalcohols and VFAs are challenging molecules to sample and analyse, as they are highly volatile and unstable, leading to loss of valuable information. 

This project addresses the detection and quantification of thiols and related molecules using a range of analytical approaches including surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) analysis with thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS), and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) following chemical modification.  Once developed these methods will be tested on real microbial headspaces with appropriate precursor molecules from the skin that undergo known microbial biotransformation.

This is a highly multidisciplinary project, with a supervisory team from the Centres of Metabolomics Research (CMR) in the University of Liverpool, with Unilever’s R&D division in Port Sunlight. The Port Sunlight site is geographically close to Liverpool and on site in the University of Liverpool is the Materials Innovation Factory (MIF) which was co-founded with Unilever:

• Roy Goodacre (CMR) will supervise the SERS and VOC metabolome aspects of the project, along with data processing and machine learning.
• Steph Murray and Allen Millichope (Unilever & MIF) will supervise the biological aspects and the interpretation of the links between specific microbial species in the axilla and malodour

By exploring the relationship between the bacteria produced within the axilla and thioalcohol generation via both new analytical approaches and well-established microbiome analysis this PhD project will aim to develop an in depth understanding of the axilla microbiome and quantify the key drivers of malodour.

Applications need:

• Cover Letter with a personal statement explaining why you want to do this PhD.
• Cover Letter should include experience in analytical science, biochemistry and or computation.
• Detailed CV