Investigating the role of neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative disease; excitable glia – more harm than good?

Triggering of innate immune mechanisms and neuroinflammation is an integral component of major neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s 1. Microglia are the brain’s major resident immunologically active cell and are important in homeostatic function. They continuously survey their environment and respond to pathogen invasion, toxins and cell debris caused by injury or death 2. However, the full armamentarium of cellular receptors and proteins used by microglia for sensing changes in its environment and during their activation are unknown. In the context of neurodegenerative disease, aberrant host proteins or mislocalised nucleic acids can activate microglia, diverting them from beneficial ‘protective’ to pro-inflammatory ‘harmful’ functions, which may contribute to disease progression. Since chronic neuroinflammation is observed in the relatively early stages of neurodegenerative disease, understanding pathways that drive this process and which changes are beneficial or harmful to neuron survival will be useful for therapeutic purposes.

This project will investigate the role of microglia in neuroinflammation using a characterised mouse model of neurodegeneration caused by 26S proteasome dysfunction in forebrain neurons 3. The project will involve qualitative and quantitative investigations of microglia using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, FACS, real-time RT-PCR and proteomics.

Applicants should have a background in molecular biology, cell biology, genetics or biochemistry and demonstrated outstanding performance through their graduate studies. Besides enthusiasm for scientific research, creativity and a strong ability for problem solving through analytical thinking is desirable. We expect good communication skills and teamwork.

Enquiries should be directed to Dr Lynn Bedford on [Email Address Removed]. If you wish to apply for this project please send a copy of your CV and 2 academic references to [Email Address Removed] before the closing deadline. Applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted in due course.