Characterising the skeletal muscle secretome and its role in cardiometabolic disease

Faculty of Health & Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University
Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre
PhD Research Studentship (full-time for 3 years)
Stipend: £14,777 per annum

A three-year PhD studentship is available to UK and EU students. The studentship covers home/EU tuition fees, stipend equivalent to full UK Research Council rate and research expenses.

The Biomolecular Research Centre of Sheffield Hallam University has a fully funded PhD studentship to develop 3D models of skeletal muscle to gain a deeper understanding of how muscle-derived endocrine signals influence cardiometabolic disease via crosstalk with other tissues.

Skeletal muscle is now considered a secretory endocrine organ with the discovery of myokines, hormones produced by muscle tissue, as molecular mediators of the whole-body effects of exercise. The benefits of exercise go beyond those of weight loss alone and may involve crosstalk between muscle and different metabolic organs via the influence of myokines as secreted muscle-derived peptides. Myokines have demonstrated positive effects on cardiovascular risk factors, including type-2 diabetes and obesity, through their ability to stimulate AMP-activated protein kinase signalling, increase glucose uptake and improve lipolysis. Uncovering these mechanisms in 3D cell culture models and identifying specific contraction-induced secretomes will allow the development of novel treatments or exercise protocols that are capable of beneficially modulating metabolic function, skeletal muscle cross-talk and subsequent cardiovascular risk.

The successful candidate will develop a physiologically relevant in vitro model of muscle contraction to characterise specific myokine profiles via proteomic analysis and investigate their role on metabolic function in other tissues.

You will be joining an established research group with expertise in the area of endocrinology, 3D cell culture and analytical proteomic techniques at Sheffield Hallam University.

Eligible candidates should be independently motivated, have good oral/written communication abilities, work well in teams and have obtained or expect to obtain a master’s (merit or distinction) or bachelor’s (first class or 2.1) degree in a relevant discipline. Laboratory experience and proficiency in cell culture, molecular biology, or LC MS/MS are desired but not required.

More information about the Research Centre and at Sheffield Hallam University can be found at http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/bmrc/