..Leah and Ali.
Thank you guys, it was yum!
PhD studentship available
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
Genetics Matters! 27th February 2015
This year for Rare Disease Day 2015 we helped organise and will be participating in the Genetics Matters event at the Great North Museum in Newcastle:
We will be presenting our best research in genetics and rare diseases, answering questions, engaging in debates and presenting hands on research tables. There are over 7,000 known rare diseases, most of which are genetic.
1 in 17 people will be affected by a rare disease at some point in their lives. This amounts to a staggering 3.5 million people in the UK alone! Genetic research and research into Rare Diseases may not attract much media attention but it is of high importance for the modern developed societies.
Come see us at the Great North Museum on the 27th February 2015 (Rare Disease Day) to learn more
The full programme can be viewed here Genetics Matters 2015 final programme
Cartilage-Specific Ablation of XBP1 Signaling – research paper
Cartilage-Specific Ablation of XBP1 Signaling in Mouse Results in a Chondrodysplasia Characterised by Reduced Chondrocyte Proliferation and Delayed Cartilage Maturation and MineralizationNewcastle-Manchester skeletal genetics meeting
On 10th December 2014 we hosted a collaborative meeting with a skeletal genetics group from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Matrix Research in Manchester.
The meeting was very well attended and much fun was had too!
SYBIL in the news so far
The members of SYBIL (Systems biology for the functional validation of genetic determinants of skeletal diseases), the EU-FP7 collaborative project which we’re participating in, were certainly busy in 2014. Here’s a compliation of recent press releases:
UK-German collaborative meeting in Allendale
The following Institutes were represented:
- Institue for Biochemistry (Cologne)
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences (Glasgow)
- Faculty of Life Sciences (Manchester)
- Institute of Genetic Medicine (Newcastle)
- Institute of Cellular Medicine (Newcastle)
and presented a very exciting programme: uk-german-meeting-Allendale
A video explaining musculoskeletal research in the SYBIL EU-FP7 consortium
We have generated this video as part of the Arthritis Research UK public engagement event, “Arthritis Matters”, on the 26th June 2014. It explain what it is that we do in the SYBIL consortium which unites 18 centres of research across Europe in a collaborative project aiming to understand the mechanisms of common and rare skeletal conditions.
You can see the video here. We hope you enjoy it!
29th August 2014 – Move a Mile for Muscle
Hundreds of people all over the country will be moving an extra special mile between 23 and 31 August to raise funds for vital research and support for families affected by muscle-wasting conditions. To join the exciting initiative, the IGM are busy organising a Charity Sports Day to be held from 11:30am on Friday 29thAugust in Times Square, Centre for Life.
September 2014 – Body Worlds exhibition at Centre for Life
Scientists from the Institute of Genetic Medicine are hosting a series of exciting “Meet the Scientist” events at the world famous Body Worlds Vital exhibition at Centre for Life this autumn. We are at the exhibition every weekend in September, showcasing our research and explaining how it fits within a bigger picture of human health and development using the exhibits and our own research samples to illustrate what we do at the Institute. A brief agenda is shown below:
6th September – mitochondrial diseases
7th September – heart function and disease
13th September – cartilage and bone development, aging and disease
14th September – hearing and vision
20th September – skeletal muscle function and disease
21st September – skeletal muscle disease patient referral systems and large research consortiums
27th September – Human Developmental Biology Resource
28th September – kidney function and disease
Thank you all for volunteering to take part!