Molecular phenotyping of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from DCM and HCM patients

The PhD project will focus on validating induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) as a model system for alterations at the cellular level that are seen in cardiomyopathy in situ. iPSCs from patients with either hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or dilated cardiomyopathy will be used, differentiated in vitro into cardiomyocytes and their cytoarchitecture will be explored by immunocytochemistry followed by confocal microscopy. Over the years we have established a whole set of markers for dilated cardiomyopathy (mainly cytoskeletal proteins but also the subcellular distribution of signalling molecules) that we will be testing for in these cells. In addition, the iPSC-CMs will be challenged by mechanical or humoral stress and also potential effects of culture conditions (e.g. 2D versus 3D, 1-month versus 3-month) on the status of maturation will be investigated. Techniques will include: (i) iPSC-generation, characterisation and differentiation into cardiomyocytes in 2D and 3D, (ii) SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting and (iii) immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy.

The Cardiovascular Divisions of King’s College London and the Heart Centre, University of Göttingen are organizing the International Research Training Group (IRTG) 1816. The IRTG 1816 trains excellent young researchers in translational cardiovascular medicine with the goal to elucidate mechanisms that underlie cardiovascular diseases and to transfer these findings from bench to bedside. Students are co-supervised by PIs at the King’s College London BHF Centre and the Heart Research Centre Göttingen. Both institutions have signed a Memorandum of Agreement for a joint PhD track. The students are located predominantly in London or Göttingen and have the opportunity to work in the respective collaborating partner laboratory. Both partner institutions have excellent infrastructure and facilities, as well as strong collaborations with each other.

The King’s College London British Heart Foundation (BHF) Centre of Research Excellence offers an outstanding environment for cardiovascular research training. It includes a large number of internationally rated investigators whose expertise encompasses a broad range of cardiac and vascular biomedicine. The Cardiovascular Division is a core constituent of the Centre and of the King’s REF2014 submission for Clinical Medicine (UoA 1), which was ranked 1st in terms of the proportion of the submission that was rated at 4* (world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour) or 3* (internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour) and 3rd for quality.

The Heart Research Center in Göttingen consists of ten different specialty clinics and institutes, all of which work closely together in the area of cardiovascular diseases. These clinics and institutes have been united to form an inter-disciplinary centre, the goals being to carry out research and training on all levels and to guarantee the optimal and efficient care of our patients. The Heart Center provides high-quality PhD training in the International Research Training Group 1816 (funded by the German Research Foundation DFG), which is part of the Georg-August University School of Science (GAUSS) Göttingen.

How to Apply

Please apply online at https://apply.kcl.ac.uk following these steps:
- Register a new account / login.
- Open a new application.
- Select the programme:
1. Choose ‘Research degrees’;
2. Enter ‘Cardio’, then Search;
3. Choose: Cardiovascular Science with Georg-August-Universität Göttingen MPhil/PhD (Full Time);
4. Choose the relevant start date (your application cannot be considered if submitted under the incorrect programme).
- Complete your application, ensuring you quote the relevant reference number for your chosen project in the ’Research Proposal’ section. We will be unable to consider applications that do not clearly specifiy the project choice.