Dr S Dietrich, Prof Matt Guille
Applications accepted all year round
Self-Funded PhD Students Only
About the Project
Project reference: PHBM3551017
Skeletal muscle allows us to move and live an independent life style. Muscle can regenerate from in-built muscle stem cells, and most of the time, is a trouble-free organ. In muscle disease such as muscular dystrophies, or when large portions of muscle are lost in an accident, regeneration fails. Therefore, efforts are being made to develop muscle stem cells for transplantation into a patient.
Adult muscle stem cells prefer a quiescent state and do not grow well in culture. Yet they are derived from embryonic muscle stem cells which are very active cells, delivering large muscle masses and adult muscle stem cells in a short period of time. This project aims to understand the properties of embryonic muscle stem cells to establish, whether cells considered for therapy should be made more embryo-like.
Muscle and muscle stem cell development is the same in mammals and birds. In this project, we will use the chicken embryo in the egg as a model, and challenge embryonic muscle stem cells with a variety of molecular constructs to explore, how well their stem cell state is protected. We also will perform RNAseq experiments to establish the molecular signature of the embryonic muscle stem cells and we will perform functional tests for candidate regulatory genes.
The project combines a variety of approaches in cell, molecular and developmental biology, including construct design, in ovo electroporation, in situ hybridisation, immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, RNAseq experiments and bioinformatics.
To make an enquiry, please contact [Email Address Removed].
To apply, please use our standard application forms and follow the instructions given under the ‘Postgraduate Research’ heading on the following webpages:http://www.port.ac.uk/application-fees-and-funding/applying-postgraduate/#rd.
When applying please note the project code PHBM3551017