CITI-GENS DTP: Investigating the importance of queuosine (Q) as a novel micronutrient in human ageing and brain health

This project is one of those advertised under the CITI-GENS programme. For more information on the programme please visit go.qub.ac.uk/citigens

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED IN THE CITI-GENS APPLICATION PACK, WHICH IS AVAILABLE FROM THE WEBSITE LINKED TO ABOVE.

The global micronutrients market exceeded $4.5 billion in 2014 and by 2023 will be worth more than $8.5 billion, growing at ~8% per annum. Queuosine (Q) is the only micronutrient that directly affects protein translation efficiency and accuracy, with roles in metabolism and healthy-ageing of the brain. Public awareness of Q is non-existent because of a lack of scientific knowledge of the levels in our food, what our intake should be, and how it can be exploited to benefit human health and ageing. Q and its precursor queuine (q) are exclusively retrieved from ingested food and microflora. Basic questions on Q function remain unanswered, so this PhD project will address these by working across 3 interdisciplinary strands (diagnostics, human nutrition, and fundamental biochemistry).

The challenges to be addressed include: i) developing methods for accurately measuring Q/q in our food, local environment and in human samples, ii) assessing exposure of q/Q in the human diet by using food intake data from the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) and, iii) improving our understanding of how q/Q benefit the ageing brain including whether deficiency of the micronutrient is linked to dementia. In each of these challenges there are growth opportunities for the local life sciences and agri-food industry to exploit including diagnostics, food manufacturers, probiotic and feed supplements sectors. Furthermore, there are potential benefits for the health of the local population particularly for the elderly because nutrient deficiencies are highly prevalent in Northern Ireland, food supplementation or improved diet could reduce much of the subsequent risk of chronic disease and premature ageing. This project will be well supported internationally using already established collaborations with Dublin, Florida, Ohio and San Diego.

The project will be supervised by Dr Brian Green (School of Biological Sciences), Professor Jayne Woodside (School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences), and Dr Marian Scott (Devenish Nutrition Limited).

The deadline for applications is Friday 10th July 2020 at 4 pm.