Prof R Corder, Prof S Nourshargh
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
PhD studentship
Centre for Translational Medicine & Therapeutics and Centre for Microvascular Research
William Harvey Research Institute
Barts and the London School of Medicine
Queen Mary University of London
Project Title: Investigations into the Actions of Dietary Polyphenols: New Treatments for Endothelial Dysfunction and the Prevention of Vascular Ageing
Supervisor: Prof. Roger Corder
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Sussan Nourshargh
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
By 2025 it is anticipated that one million people in the UK will have dementia (mainly Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia), yet currently there are no effective treatments. Over the past few years vascular ageing has been identified as a key trigger for Alzheimer’s disease as well as for vascular dementia. The small blood vessels of the brain are composed primarily of a single layer of vascular endothelial cells. Hence, the health of the endothelium is of critical importance because it is the only barrier between circulating blood and the brain: protecting the brain, regulating blood flow, and transporting essential nutrients.
This project will investigate, using human endothelial cells in culture, how dietary polyphenols (the natural molecules found in red wine and chocolate) prevent and reverse endothelial dysfunction, and slow vascular ageing. This will provide fundamental new insights that can help lead to new medicines. This project may also identify biomarkers of vascular ageing that can be used as diagnostic tests for detection of endothelial dysfunction, and hence guide prevention for those at most risk.
The goal of this PhD is to characterise using endothelial cells in culture the actions of purified dietary polyphenols, and metabolites isolated from blood and urine. This will involve studies of cultured endothelial cells with the aim of identifying peptide and protein mediators implicated in vascular ageing and in the vascular dysfunction that precedes dementia. Intracellular signalling mechanisms involved in the endothelial response to dietary polyphenols will also be characterised.
The project is based in the Centre for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics in the William Harvey Research Institute under the primary supervision of Professor Roger Corder. Additional studies will be undertaken under the supervision of Prof. Sussan Nourshargh in the Centre for Microvascular Research where cutting edge imaging facilities and application of advanced microscopy methods can be used to investigate endothelial function.
For more information regarding the project, please contact Prof. Roger Corder. email: [Email Address Removed]
Funding Notes
This three-year studentship is funded by a grant from the Masonic Samaritan Fund (Jubilee Research Fund) to the William Harvey Research Foundation. It covers UK/EU tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend (£22,278 in the first year). Funding is available now, so the project can start by mutual agreement with a suitable candidate. It is open to UK Nationals, EEA/Swiss migrant workers and non-UK nationals with indefinite leave to remain in the UK who will have three years ordinary residence in the EU prior to the start of the studentship.
References
Applicants should hold (or expect to obtain) a minimum upper-second class honours degree (or equivalent) in pharmacology, biochemistry, or a related biological/medical science area. A postgraduate degree in a relevant subject would be desirable, as would basic cell biology skills and an interest in cardiovascular function and ageing.
Please apply online:
https://mysis.qmul.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=RFQM-W6XF-09&code2=0007&code3=GUEST
Continue with Facebook
