Are you interested in retinal neuroscience? Do you wish to help the fight against blindness to progress? Or do you like to work with state-of-the-art transcriptomic techniques?
Human age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main cause of severe vision impairment and blindness with 288 million patients estimated to be affected by the year 2040. AMD starts with drusen accumulation below the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a specialised cell layer which nourishes the light-sensitive cells of the eye, the photoreceptors. Ion channels, play essential roles in maintaining the health and function of RPE and photoreceptors. Diseases caused by disturbed function of ion channels are called channelopathies. An involvement of channelopathies in AMD is poorly understood. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be used to produce a virtually unlimited number of human RPE cells resembling AMD disease phenotypes. Our data from healthy and AMD patient RPE iPSCs lines suggests an involvement of several ion channels in an advanced state of AMD.
The successful candidate will compare the iPSC lines with human RPE to determine if they mimic the same ion channel composition and AMD disease-specific pathologies. A combined approach to comprehensively profile the transcriptomic and physiological features of individual iPSC RPE cells will be used to assess an involvement of channelopathies in AMD.
This project will use Patch-Clamp, state-of-the-art transcriptomics, high-resolution microscopy, Patch-Clamp, calcium imaging, computational and bioinformatics methods. The ideal candidate does not need to have skills in these techniques but should show a great portion of motivation and self-organisation. Northumbria University is a research-intensive modern university with a global reputation for academicexcellence. The student will be integrated in the research team of Dr Gerrit Hilgen (https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/h/gerrit-hilgen/ ) with access to state-of-the-art laboratory and facilities.
Eligibility and How to Apply:
Please note eligibility requirement:
· Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
· Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
· Applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.
For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/
Please note: All applications must include a covering letter (up to 1000 words maximum) including why you are interested in this PhD, a summary of the relevant experience you can bring to this project and of your understanding of this subject area with relevant references (beyond the information already provided in the advert). Applications that do not include the advert reference (e.g. SF22/…) will not be considered
Deadline for applications: 10 May 2023
Interviews: w/c 22 May 2023
Start Date: September or October 2023 (tbc)
Northumbria University is committed to creating an inclusive culture where we take pride in, and value, the diversity of our doctoral students. We encourage and welcome applications from all members of the community. The University hold a bronze Athena Swan award in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality, we are a Disability Confident Employer, a member of the Race Equality Charter and are participating in the Stonewall Diversity Champion Programme. We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career development of researchers.
Informal enquiries to Dr Gerrit Hilgen ([Email Address Removed])
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