Pathology PhD Research Projects PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships in Leeds

Supervisor: Dr SM Dickens

Research Group: Chemistry and Biosciences

Parkinson’s is the 2nd most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting around 1 in 20 people aged over 65. In the UK, the number of affected people is set to rise by 50% over the next 50 years due to ageing populations. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

NIHR Leeds BRC: Pre-clinical evaluation of novel regenerative medicine strategies for knee osteoarthritis

Supervisors: Prof H Pandit, Prof D McGonagle

Historically, articular cartilage was considered incapable of spontaneous repair. However, biomechanical correction in osteoarthritis (OA) using high tibial osteotomy or joint distraction demonstrated the remarkable joint to regeneration by “merely” correcting joint alignment. Read more

Open Day(s) 26 May 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

NIHR Leeds BRC: Multimodal predictive modelling of outcome in patients with gastrointestinal cancer

Supervisors: Dr H Grabsch, Dr N West, Dr D Magee

Worldwide, cancer of the upper (oesophagus, stomach) and lower gastrointestinal (colon and rectum) tract is newly diagnosed in 3.6 million patients every year and 2.2 million patients die from this disease every year. Read more

Open Day(s) 26 May 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

NIHR Leeds BRC: Force sensing mechanisms of haemostasis in heart failure and diabetes

Supervisors: Dr R Ariens, Prof D J Beech, Dr E Levelt

Since the original identification of the role of PIEZO1 in vascular integrity and endothelial cell biology by our group in Leeds in 2014, there have been many publications on the role of PIEZO1 in endothelial function and its role in processes such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, cell-cell junctions, vascular permeability and leukocyte diapedesis. Read more

Open Day(s) 26 May 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Molecular mechanisms of pacemaker (sinus node) dysfunction in ageing, heart failure and athletes

Supervisors: Dr M Hussain, Dr C Willis, Prof MR Boyett

Research Group: Chemistry and Biosciences

The heart’s pacemaker, the sinus node, initiates the action potential that causes the heart to beat, and the atrioventricular node conducts the action potential from the atria to the ventricles, the pumping chambers of the heart. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Characterisation of adrenoceptor and muscarinic receptor subtypes coupled to potassium channels in chondrocytes from bovine cartilage

Supervisors: Dr M Hussain, Dr M Katsikogianni, Dr N Javid

Research Group: Chemistry and Biosciences

Several outward potassium currents have been identified in bovine chondrocytes (review Mobasheri et al. 2012). These include ATP-sensitive and a Calcium-activated potassium currents (Sanches & Lopez-Zapata, 2011). Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Beat-to-beat modulation of Calcium-induced Calcium release in cardiac muscle

Supervisors: Dr M Hussain, Dr J Muller, Prof MR Boyett

Research Group: Chemistry and Biosciences

Contraction in the heart is well known to be dependent on a transient rise in intracellular calcium concentration. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Genetics: Investigating the functional effect of novel genes and genetic variants in malignant hyperthermia susceptibility using model systems

Supervisors: Prof P Hopkins, Dr M-A Shaw, Dr C Diggle

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is an inherited condition, where patients exposed to anaesthetic drugs are susceptible to a dramatic hyperthermic and hypermetabolic response that can contribute to a significant proportion of post-operative morbidity and deaths. Read more

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Clinical: Gastroesophageal reflux in respiratory disease: pathogenic role and improved management

Supervisors: Prof L Houghton, Dr D Peckham

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition in which stomach contents, such as food and acid pass into the gullet/oesophagus causing heartburn. GERD is very common in patients with lung disease, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis (CF). Read more

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only