Pain is a significant clinical problem, because all existing analgesics have major side effects and are also poorly effective in many clinically important types of pain. A membrane ion channel, TRPV1, which is activated by heat, is critical for pain because when tissues are damaged, inflammatory mediators lower the temperature threshold of TRPV1 so that it can be activated even by normal body heat and thus cause ongoing pain. We have discovered how to prevent the effects of inflammatory mediators on TRPV1. A scaffolding protein, AKAP79, forms a "basket" structure which holds close to TRPV1the enzymes responsible for lowering its threshold. We have identified the binding site and can prevent binding using competitor peptides. These peptides give good analgesia in a mouse models of pain, including in a model of diabetic neuropathy, an intractable human pain condition. We will develop improved TRPV1-AKAP79 blocking peptides as better analgesics for intractable forms of pain.

There has been significant research investment into alternative methods of energy production that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. With the exception of nuclear or neo-fossil fuels (e.g. biofuels), these resources (e.g. solar, wind) are neither generated nor converted into useful forms of energy (electric or mechanical) at the 'point of use' or 'on-demand' and require storage and a substantial delivery network. Battery technology will be an intrinsic part of the development of alternative energy strategies. However battery technology, whilst boasting large storage capability, is an essentially electrochemical process, and requires significant charging-up times. Therefore one cannot currently recharge electric car batteries as quickly as filling up a car with petrol. Equally, low capacity and high recharge-times of batteries in mobile devices (lap-tops, mobile phones) limits their ability to contain more functionality. It is obvious that the next breakthrough technology in mobile devices will be in their power packs. Supercapacitors are strong contenders to provide both high capacity and fast storage/release of energy. Capacitors, as every sixth form science student is aware, can store charge between two electrodes separated by an insulator (the dielectric). The key difference in supercapacitors is that the dielectric is an inherent part of each electrode, and charge is stored within nanoporous pathways within the dielectric. Moving or storing charge without an electrochemical change ( the method of storage in conventional batteries) means supercapacitor charge/discharge rates are fast leading to high power densities. Therefore supercapacitors using dielectrics with large surface area densities (i.e. internal surface per unit volume) from nanoporous materials will have energy densities resembling batteries whilst retaining the fast discharge/charge rates of supercapacitors. In this proposal, we use a radical new patented technology to generate dielectrics with high surface area densities. This is accomplished by introducing highly interconnected nanoscale pores into the materials in a controlled, reliably repeatable way. Certainly making nanoporous materials is not a new idea in itself. However existing methods are either expensive, or too unreliable. Our patent describes a way to do this, that using cheap materials, fast process-times and good reproducibility. This will be important in taking supercapacitor technology, which has been proved in the laboratory, and making it economically viable as a consumer product.

We can use intricately controlled assemblies of metals carved into structures on the scale of a billionth of a metre, to funnel and concentrate light into tiny volumes of space. This 'nano-optics' allows us to access for the first time small numbers of molecules and atoms moving around in real time. Even more interesting we can start to use light to control the movement of molecules and atoms, since it can produce strong forces directly at the nanoscale. In this research, we plan to use our new-found ability to concentrate on a whole range of physical phenomena that underlie devices at the heart of healthcare, information technology, and energy production. For instance we can watch how lithium ions move into and out of a small fragment of battery, and how the deformations of the atomic lattice are produced, which is what determines how long batteries last and how much energy they can store. Another project uses light to move gold atoms around inside larger carbon-based molecules, to control what colour they absorb at, and what molecules they can sense. Further projects build wallpapers constructed from tiny flipping components that produce colour changes on demand, the precursor to walls that change colour at the flick of a switch or display images or text on the side of lorries. Underpinning all this are serious advances in learning how to build such structures reliably, so anyone can make use of our new ideas. We understand very little about what happens when we put molecules inside such compressed nano-cavities for light, and these fundamentals will open up new areas. This research also crucially helps us understand what new properties we can create, and predicts how to improve them best. This will lay open many of the new technologies of the next century.

The proposed EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Sensor Technologies in an Uncertain World (Sensor CDT) will educate leaders who can effectively address the challenges of an increasingly uncertain, complex, and interconnected world. In recent years, society has faced a global pandemic, an energy crisis, and the consequences of war and the climate crisis. Sensor technologies play a vital role in addressing these challenges. They are essential tools for detecting changes in the world, protecting livelihoods, and improving well-being. Accurate sensory data are crucial for informing the public and enabling governments and policymakers to make evidence-based decisions. The new Sensor CDT is designed to train and inspire future sensor leaders with interdisciplinary and agile thinking skills to meet these challenges. Our students will learn to collaborate within and across cohorts, and co-create solutions with key stakeholders, including other scientists, industry partners, the third sector, and the public. The fully integrated 4-year Master + PhD program will be co-delivered by over 80 leading academics, over 25 industrial partners, and national research and policy agencies, and will cover the entire sensor value chain, from development over deployment and maintenance to end-of-life including middleware, and big data. Within the broader theme of uncertainty, we have identified three Focus Areas: I) Uncertainty in Sensory Data. According to the environmental sensor report published by UKRI in 2022, "data quality remains a major concern that hinders the widespread adoption of low-cost sensor technology". Through bespoke training in measurement science, statistical methods and AI, our students will learn to determine data quality and interpret imperfect, uncertain and constantly changing data. By acquiring hands-on design and prototyping skills and familiarising themselves with ubiquitous open technology platforms, they will learn how to construct more accurate and reliable sensors. II) Sensors in an Uncertain World. Environmental, economic and social uncertainties disproportionately impact low- and mid-income countries. Through collaboration with academic partners and policy agencies, the students will explore the impact of these interconnected uncertainties and pathways through which they can be mitigated by deploying low-cost sensor technologies. III) Uncertainty in Industry. UK industries deal with uncertainties in supply chains, variable process conditions and feedstocks, and they are subject to changing regulatory guidelines. Sensor data are critical to minimise the effect of such uncertainties on the quality of products and services. Through the provision of training in technical skills, systems thinking, leadership, and project management, our students will learn to innovate on rapidly changing timelines, and to work increasingly in collaboration and synergy with stakeholders in commerce and the public. Whilst prevention of future disasters is important, we recognise an increasing need to create resilience in a world facing rapid, often irreversible, change. Solutions must be co-created with society. The CDT will equip students with the confidence to collaborate across a range of fields, including arts and social sciences, skills that cannot be acquired in traditional, single student / single discipline PhD programmes. Finally, our programme will address a skills gap identified by UK industry and academia, who report a growing problem in recruiting suitably qualified candidates with the skills, disciplinary breadth and leadership qualities needed to drive innovation in the sensor field. In the UK alone, the sensor market contributes to ~£6bn in exports, underpins ~70,000 jobs, and connects to a global market estimated to reach £500bn in 2032 (Sensors KTN). Providing the skilled talent for the UK to succeed in this rapidly growing and competitive sector is a crucial goal of our programme.

It is a major problem to exploit the new ideas emerging from the Photonics/Plasmonics/Metamaterials academic community (in which the UK is strong) for real-world applications. In this field, the intricate structure of metals and dielectrics on the nanoscale produces radically new optical properties which are the basis for many devices and materials. However because the nanoscale architectures are designed by academics with little thought to manufacturability, most of these ideas founder very early against cost, method and volume considerations. We aim to invert this model, examining much more seriously a number of different fabrication routes that look promising for delivering scale-up of manufacturing nanostructures with novel and useful photonic materials and metamaterials functionality. However, blind approaches from considerations only of manufacturability are unlikely to locate useful functionalities. As a result we are strongly guided by a set of successful platforms developed over the last 5 years, which already embed the promise of scale-up due to their use of bottom-up self-assembly. In this programme, we develop such directed-assembly towards real capabilities for manufacturing. Success in this domain will be directly exploited by a number of UK companies, both large and small, but even more importantly will be transformative for UK approaches to manufacturing. Despite huge investments in top-down nanofabrication in the UK, little commercial return has been produced. Alternative approaches based on self-assembly already have traction (for instance inside Unilever), and offer routes to mass-scale production with a cost model that is realistic. What industry needs is not the ideas, but a well-developed research programme into the manufacturing space that will allow them to make use of these advances. Our programme will deliver this through tightly coupling nanoassembly, nanophotonics, and nano-manufacturing.