Validation of a stem cell derived cartilage model for osteoarthritis research and drug screening

Osteoarthritis is a chronic, painful and progressive joint disorder characterised by loss of articular cartilage. Despite 8 million sufferers in the UK alone, treatments are still limited to pain management strategies and ultimately joint replacement surgery. We urgently need to better understand the mechanisms underlying disease development and progression, and to develop diagnostic assays for early identification of patients at risk of developing osteoarthritis to develop 21st Century therapeutics.

Tissue engineering methods, developed at Cardiff University’s School of Dentistry, use human stem cells to produce tissue closely resembling articular cartilage. This PhD project will use cutting-edge biophysical and microscopic techniques developed by our collaborators in Exeter University to characterise our ‘engineered’ cartilage at microstructural levels. This project will refine, validate and further develop our joint-specific model of human cartilage, which will then be used to model osteoarthritis development and to identify disease biomarkers and screen therapeutic agents.

This is an interdisciplinary PhD opportunity based at Cardiff University, but working closely with our collaborators at the University of Exeter. It offers outstanding training opportunities and the student will develop knowledge in tissue engineering and cartilage stem cell biology, and an unique set of skills including 3D cell culture, molecular biology, state of the art microscopy techniques and Raman microspectrometery.