PhD in Engineering: Non-Invasive Monitoring and Novel Microscopies for Imaging Tissue and Bone Regeneration

Background: Imaging and microscopies underpin both clinical diagnosis and basic biomedical research, studying disease processes, tissue regeneration and developmental processes. One current challenge in the field involves developing new forms of microscopy that are able to determine the spatial location of signalling molecules or biomarkers of disease - and subsequently determine the resulting structural changes within tissue and bones. Such a microscope could find new applications in understanding the promotion of growth in structural tissue and/or the restoration of the function, e.g. during stem cell implantation, wound healing, bone growth following trauma or organ regeneration.

The Project: We wish to develop a new imaging tool to probe deep into hard and soft tissues using Raman spectroscopy. This will allow us to study, in real time, the regeneration of tissue in response to external stimuli such as pharmaceuticals, growth factors or electrical and ultrasonic stimulation. We will probe much deeper into tissues than previously possible, producing high signal-background images to non-invasively and quantitatively monitor the dynamics of biological processes at a molecular level, in real time.

Scope: Whilst the scope of the project lies in tissue and bone regeneration using stem cell technologies, the techniques that will be developed would have broader applications in monitoring both chronic diseases and infections within the body (including e.g. sepsis after surgery or tumour growth in cancer). During the PhD, the candidate will be encouraged to explore potential new applications.

Collaboration: The successful candidate will be based in our Biomedical Engineering group, within the School of Engineering in Glasgow, and will work closely with the Research Centre for the Cellular Microenvironment (see https://glasgow.thecemi.org) and with researchers in Imperial College and Nottingham. During the PhD, the student will also be encouraged to collaborate with a network of researchers in NUS Singapore, Beijing Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins USA, Toronto and Harvard, with the opportunity to travel.

Facilities: Within our group, our facilities not only include a wide range of spectroscopic and optical microscopy platforms, but also a range of bioanalytical instrumentation, optical workstations and cell/tissue culture suites.

The Candidate: This project is highly interdisciplinary, involving the integration of approaches and methods traditionally found in Engineering, Physical Sciences and the Life Sciences. Consequently, it may, for example, suit candidates with either a Physical or Life Science background with an interest in microscopy and optics, instrumentation or analytical science, or, alternatively, an Engineer with an interest in spectroscopy or photonics.

For an informal discussion or for further information on this project, potential applicants are encouraged to contact Professor Jon Cooper, [Email Address Removed]