Globally, traumatic brain injury affects 69 million individuals and causes 8.1 million years of life lived in disability each year. Inflammatory mechanisms exert a profound influence on the outcome of traumatic brain injury. There are currently no clinically proven therapies to improve functional outcomes and prevent the development and progression of post-traumatic epilepsy.
Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles loaded with a variety of bioactive molecules and secreted by cells into the extracellular space. They are internalized by recipient cells, transferring their cargo of regulatory molecules to directly modify the biological activity of the recipient cell, allowing exosomes to be harnessed for therapeutic purposes.
A PhD student position is available to work on developing exosome-based therapies to treat traumatic brain injury and modulate post-traumatic epileptogenesis. The treatment effects of native exosomes will be improved by gene engineering.
The position will be based at The University of Queensland, Australia. The project is part of training component of Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Grant, which supports training higher degree students in industry-relevant research and exposing them to industry issues. The opportunity to work on this project will prepare PhD student to work in regulated bio-manufacturing environments and participate in cutting edge, industry-led research and development. The student will be co-supervised by Dr. David Haylock, the CEO at VivaZome Therapeutics.
We are looking for a highly motivated person with interest in neurological disorder research. The studies will include work on cell lines and animal model systems. Methods used in the projects include molecular biology methods, as well as cellular and immunological techniques.
The following qualifications will be especially valued:
- Master degree in cell biology/genetics/immunology with studies in neurological disease and mouse studies
- Experience in molecular biology techniques, cell culture, exosome analysis
- Enthusiastic about learning new techniques and being able to work both independently and in a team environment
- Good knowledge of the English Language, written and spoken.
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