Disease control and host responses to proliferative kidney disease in rainbow trout

Proliferative kidney disease (PKD), caused by the myxozoan parasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, is a major disease of farmed rainbow trout. This project will attempt to develop intervention strategies to reduce the impact of the disease, taking advantage of newly developed parasite transcriptomes.
Vaccine candidates will be identified using bioinformatic approaches, and used for immunisation of fish. Mucosal immune responses (skin, gills) will be monitored and pathology assessed in collaboration with our collaborators and the aquaculture industry. The potential to use of immunomodulators to reduce the pathology associated with the disease will also be explored, based on our recent discovery of PKD-mediated induction of cytokine inhibitor molecules that have been targeted as therapeutic treatments in other host-pathogen interactions.
The successful candidates will gain wide experience in: cutting edge transcriptomics; gene and protein expression of selected parasite antigens, and host immune molecules; development of novel vaccine formulations and vaccine efficacy testing; development and testing of novel immunotherapeutic treatments for PKD.

Further details can be found here: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/clsm/graduate/research/kidney-disease-970.php

Please apply for admission to the ’Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Science’ to ensure that your application is passed to the correct college for processing.

Please provide a copy of the degree certificate and transcript for each previous degree undertaken, a copy of your English language proficiency certificate (if relevant), and contact details of two referees who can comment on your previous academic performance (at least one should be from your current degree programme). Incomplete applications will not be considered.