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We are inviting applications from PhD student candidates for a unique opportunity to contribute to the discovery of next generation drug targets for Giant Cell Artheritis (GCA).
This project is funded by the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation and is part of a greater collaboration of vasculitis research within the the Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation that aims to discover and validate biological targets across immune-mediated disease.
GCA is the most common form of primary vasculitis. It causes inflammation of arteries of the scalp and head and may result in catastrophic blindness and reduced life expectancy. This project aims to understand the tissue heterogeneity in GCA by directly interrogating the patient’s diseased tissues using biopsy samples. To identify key pathways and genes involved in the inflammation in situ, we will perform spatial transcriptomic analysis on GCA biopsy samples. These studies will be carried out under the supervision of Professors Neil Basu and Carl Goodyear in collaboration with Dr Nigel Jamieson at the Institute of Cancer Sciences, where the successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop skills at the cutting edge of high-plex and high-throughput spatial profiling analysis. Interest in multi-omics data analysis is preferred but not required.
We aim to further integrate spatial transcriptomic to single-cells imaging and sequencing (RNAscope multi-plex and single-cell RNAseq) to discover novel mechanisms of disease and identify potential biological targets. The student will also receive extensive training in in vitro culture of primary immune cells from human blood, transcriptomic and image analysis. Further biological validation of the target(s) of interest will involve the PhD student to develop in vitro and/or in vivo models of disease.
The PhD student will be supported by a world class multidisciplinary team across the university and the industry partner. They will work in a world class research environment with a thriving postgraduate research community. The successful candidate will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written) and be enthusiastic and comfortable interacting and communicating with other researchers, medical doctors, and our industry partner.
We welcome applications from enthusiastic, responsible, independent, and driven candidates, that hold at least an upper-second class bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a biological or medical science. Preference will be given to candidates with some experience in lab work or multi-omics data analysis, but this is not essential.
The studentship includes tuition fees and stipend for UK/EU candidates and is available immediately. Please direct any enquires to Professor Neil Basu ([Email Address Removed]) or Ms Evelyn Smith ([Email Address Removed]).
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