Elucidating novel functional properties of emerging classes of peptide hydrogels with relevance for tissue engineering at Queen’s University Belfast on FindAPhD.com

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Dr F Lundy, Dr I El Karim No more applications being accepted Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast

About the Project

Peptide hydrogels are a leading class of scaffolds for tissue engineering, due to their ability to mimic the three dimensional environment of natural tissues. The works aims to design and investigate peptide hydrogels, in collaboration with a Scottish company, Biogelx, with expertise in the development of novel three dimensional cell culture scaffolds.

Objectives:

(1) Investigate novel properties of custom-designed biocompatible peptide hydrogels in vitro: We will study peptide hydrogels based on naturally occurring sequences and determine novel characteristics of these hydrogels that could benefit tissue engineering purposes.

(2) Determine the effects of novel peptide hydrogels on the lineage commitment of mesenchymal stem cells using ex vivo models: We will examine the osteogenic lineage commitment of mesenchymal stem cells in 3D hydrogel using ex vivo mesenchymal stem cells models to study differentiation towards an osteogenic lineage, as determined by RT-qPCR.

(3) Investigate osteogenic regenerative capacity in vivo: We will compare the ability of a range of hydrogels to support bone tissue regeneration in an in vivo model analysed using microCT and processed for decalcified histology.

The PhD candidate will join a vibrant, world-class team engaged in interdisciplinary and translational studies on stem cell biology and tissue engineering. As a result of commercial support, this collaborative project has an uplift of £1,000 per annum to the standard studentship rate and a generous laboratory consumable budget.

Interviews will be held week beginning 21 June 2021

Funding Notes

This DfE funded studentship is for UK domiciled students and includes the cost of approved fees and maintenance support, which is £15,609 for 2021/22. As this project is in partnership with Biogelx, the successful candidate will receive an additional £1000 per annum on top of the confirmed DfE stipend for 2021/22. Eligibility for a full DfE studentship requires you to have been resident in the United Kingdom for a three year period before the first day of the first academic year of the course. You must hold or expect to gain an upper second class honours degree.

References

Please visit the QUB website for further information about the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine https://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/wwiem/
Applications are made via our Direct Applications Portal https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/user/u_login.php
When applying, please choose 'MEDICINE' as your subject area/School.

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