The Peter May Arthritis MRes/PhD studentship – Biomechanical sensing in cartilage ageing and disease
Value of award: The funding covers one year MRes followed by a three year PhD. The full award covers tuition fees at the UK/EU rate and an annual stipend of £13,986 (2015-2016). Funding is restricted to Home/EU fees only.
Start date: September 2015 – the funding covers a 4 year PhD
Application closing date: 31/05/15
Supervisor(s): Dr Katarzyna Piróg, Prof David Young
Overview
Osteoarthritis (OA) results from a micro-damage to cartilage and propagates via the subsequent repair/damage events. The remodelling capabilities of tissue decrease with age, leading to increased OA susceptibility following injury related trauma. Interestingly, investigation of biomechanical responsiveness of chondrocytes themselves is a relatively recent topic and the reaction of cells to the abnormal extracellular matrices remains largely unknown. This PhD project will aim to establish a biomechanically relevant 3D in vitro model of young and aged cartilage and test the reaction of cells to different extracellular environments. The resulting in vitro system will generate new knowledge about the mechanosensitivity of the chondrocyte and provide a platform for further studies of potential therapeutic interventions for cartilage disorders in a relevant in vitro setting.
The successful applicant will benefit from a supervisory team that brings together expertise in cartilage biology, functional genetics and applied bioinformatics. Both supervisors are PIs in the pan-European EU-FP7 SYBIL research consortium bringing together the expertise of 18 cartilage and bone biology research centres. The group also enjoys a collaborative link with the CIMA (Centre for Integrated research into Musculoskeletal Ageing) project and the Musculoskeletal Research Group (MRG) at Newcastle University. The PhD student will receive extensive training in histology, cell culture, “omics” technologies, biomechanics, biochemical assays, statistical analysis and project management, thus obtaining a desirable and transferable skillset.
One PhD studentship is available in the Newcastle group of Dr Katarzyna Pirog, with Prof David Young as co-supervisor. Students with an interest in ageing, cartilage biology, animal models of disease, biochemistry, and transcriptomics are encouraged to apply.
Eligibility Criteria: You must have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree in genetics, biochemistry, biosciences or a related area. The award is available to UK/EU applicants only. If English is not your first language, you must have IELTS 7, or equivalent.
How to apply: You must apply through the University’s online postgraduate application system by creating an account. To do this please select ‘How to Apply’ and choose the ‘Apply now’ button.
You should also send your covering letter and CV to Dr Katarzyna Pirog by email to katarzyna.pirog@ncl.ac.uk
Contact: Dr Katarzyna (Kasia) Piróg, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University.
Email: katarzyna.pirog@ncl.ac.uk
