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  Probiotic bacteria as a therapeutic and preventative strategy for RSV-disease (Ref FHMS - FF - 32 BIO)


   Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences

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  Dr Jorge Gutierrez-Merino  No more applications being accepted  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

About the Project

Multiple strategies are being explored to mitigate the terrible deleterious effect of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants, the cause of bronchiolitis, including promising antivirals and vaccines that are currently in the clinical development pipeline. However, these treatments have only provided relative protection and are expensive to manufacture. In this study, the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum (LP) is presented as a universal, safe, inexpensive, and sustainable alternative not only to current RSV treatments but also vaccines. We have recently discovered that LP triggers the production of antiviral cytokines in human macrophages, including type I interferon, with a concomitant low activation of pro-inflammatory responses. Our mechanistic findings are in agreement with previous in vivo observations reporting protection of LP against lethal respiratory viral infections in rodents and humans. Therefore, we propose to explore the efficacy of LP against RSV infection. We will use human primary epithelial cells to monitor virus replication when exposed to LP, as well as an in vivo model to determine the potential of LP as an anti-RSV vaccine vehicle. LP is expected to stimulate antiviral responses and reduce viral load, while protecting against RSV disease. LP has the potential to act dually as a prophylactic and therapeutic in humans to combat RSV and other concomitant viral infections. 

This is a collaborative project between the departments of Nutritional Sciences, Microbial Sciences and Biochemical Sciences at the School of Biosciences and Medicine, University of Surrey. All the in vitro and in vivo experiments and their corresponding molecular, microbiological and immunological examinations will be carried out at Surrey in animal houses and labs with safety level 2-3 containment. The PhD student will be a graduate in Microbiology and/or Immunology, with some expertise in cellular and molecular biology techniques. They will have the unique opportunity to train in cell culture, viral infection/replication tests, ELISAs, customized multiplex bead-based immunoassays, qRT-PCR and in vivo vaccination studies. Surrey will facilitate access to relevant resources and centrally supported equipment, including microbiological cabinets, multimode detection plate readers, RNA/DNA analysis and flow cytometers. The student will also present results, prepare manuscripts for publications and provide intellectual input throughout the study

Principle Supervisor - Dr Jorge Gutierrez-Merino

Dr Jorge Gutierrez-Merino is a veterinarian and a bacteriologist with 20 years of experience and an extensive track record in the area of applied microbiology. He is an international expert in the isolation and molecular characterisation of lactobacilli; thus, his lab possesses all the necessary equipment and facilities to elucidate the mechanisms that lactobacilli utilize to exert immunomodulatory properties. He will lead this project in collaboration with immunologists and virologists, including Prof Christine Rollier, a vaccinologist specialized in creating vaccine delivery systems; and Dr Lindsay Broadbent, a recently appointed Lecturer at Surrey University with expertise in RSV-human host interactions.

Principal supervisor’s e-mail: [Email Address Removed]

Entry requirements

Open to UK and international students with the project starting in October 2023. Note that a maximum of 30% of the studentships will be offered to international students.

You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements for our PhD programme https://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/biosciences-and-medicine-phd#entry.

 How to apply

Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the relevant principal supervisor(s) to discuss the project(s) before submitting their application.

Applications should be submitted via the [https://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/biosciences-and-medicine-phd programme page (N.B. Please select the October 2023 start date when applying).

You may opt to apply for a single project or for 2 of these Faculty-funded studentship projects

When completing your application, in place of a research proposal, please provide a brief motivational document (1 page maximum) which specifies:

  • the reference numbers(s) for the project or two projects you are applying for 
  • the project title(s) and principal supervisor name(s) 
  • if applying for two projects, please also indicate your order of preference for the projects
  • an explanation of your motivations for wanting to study for a PhD 
  • an explanation of your reasons for selecting the project(s) you have chosen

Additionally, to complete a full application, you MUST also email a copy of your CV and 1-page motivational document directly to the relevant project principal supervisor of each project you apply for. Due to short turnaround times for applicant shortlisting, failure to do this may mean that your application is not considered.

Please note that online interviews for shortlisted applicants are expected to take place during the week commencing 30th January.


Biological Sciences (4)

Funding Notes

Funding is for 3.5 years and includes UKRI-aligned stipend (£17,668 pa for 2022-23), approved University of Surrey fees and a research budget. This studentship is funded by Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey.