An image-centered approach to determine the role of influenza virus morphology on infection spread

Medical Research Council (MRC) Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) Studentships

Positions are available in the College of Medical Veterinary, Medical and Life Sciences associated with MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit and MRC Centre for Virus Research. Our next intake will be for PhD projects commencing October 2017. The MRC DTP offers PhD with Integrated Study studentships funded by the MRC.

This DTP focuses on training PhD students in key MRC skills priorities in quantitative skills (mathematics, statistics, computation, and developing digital excellence) as applied to variety of data sources (from ‘omics’ to health records), and interdisciplinary skills including imaging and stratified medicine.

ALL PROJECTS CAN BE VIEWED HERE: http://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvls/graduateschool/mrcdtpstudentships2017/projects/ - NOTE: DETAIL WITHIN STEP 6 OF APPLICATION PROCESS THE SUPERVISOR AND PROJECT TITLE.

Supervisors
Dr Pablo Murcia - [Email Address Removed]
Prof David Bhella - [Email Address Removed]
Dr Edward Hutchinson - [Email Address Removed]

Abstract
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) can cause devastating disease. While IAVs are pleomorphic (they can form either spherical or filamentous particles), the role of virus morphology in determining disease severity remains unknown. We will combine state-of-the-art imaging technologies (including light, confocal and electron microscopy) with powerful model organ culture systems and reverse genetics technology to image the spread of morphologically distinct isogenic IAVs at ultra-high resolution. We will use this combination of approaches to test our hypothesis that filamentous particles spread more efficiently throughout the respiratory tract.