Funding for the Executive Dean’s PhD Studentship: Lineage tracing of blood stem cell development in embryo-like gastruloids

The team of Cristina Pina, Alessandro Esposito and Victor Hernandez at Brunel University London, is offering a fully-funded PhD studentship to develop a live imaging and lineage tracing system to monitor blood formation and emergence of blood (haematopoietic) stem cells in a 3D gastruloid model of embryogenesis. Establishment of the lineage tracing system will support implementation of the 3D gastruloid model as a replacement for animal studies, and its eventual use as a source of blood cells for transfusion and transplantation.

Based in and funded by the College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, this studentship offers a full-time annual London rate stipend estimated at £21,237 (including London weighting) and Home/EU tuition fees, for a maximum of 36 months.

The Department of Life Sciences holds a Silver Athena SWAN Award and is committed to equality of opportunity and advancing women’s careers.

The start date will be 1 October 2024.

Overview

The overarching aim of this project is the optimisation of culture conditions for the scalable generation of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vitro from pluripotent sources. This paves the path for on-demand laboratory production of HSC and blood cells, overcoming the limitations of voluntary blood donations and tissue compatibility, and addressing an unmet clinical need.

The project brings together established PIs’ expertise in regulation of haematopoiesis and HSCs and in biophotonics and live imaging solutions. It is truly interdisciplinary and will provide the successful candidate with solid exposure to molecular biology, stem cell biology, organoid bioengineering, and advanced live microscopy, expanding their future employability and career choice.

For informal discussions, please contact Cristina Pina and/or Alessandro Esposito.

Eligibility

Candidates should have an undergraduate degree (first or upper second class) or equivalent qualification in a Biological or Bioengineering discipline. A Masters qualification in a relevant area is desirable but not essential. Previous research experience in cell and/or molecular biology are desirable criteria. Applicants who have not been awarded a degree by a University in the UK will be expected to demonstrate English language skills to IELTS 7.0 (minimum 6.5 in any section).

How to apply

If you wish to apply, please e-mail the following to chmls-pgr-officestaff@brunel.ac.uk by 10 June 2024.

An up-to-date CV.
A single-page A4 single-spaced personal statement describing why you are a suitable candidate (i.e. outlining your qualifications and skills).
One example of your academic writing (e.g. an essay, a section from a dissertation).
A summary of your teaching experience or your willingness to support teaching activities.
Names and contact details for two academic referees.
A copy of your highest degree certificate and transcript.
A copy of your English language qualification, where applicable.

Short-listed applicants will be required to attend an interview week commencing 1 July 2024.

For further information about how to apply, please contact the College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences Postgraduate Programmes Office on chmls-pgr-officestaff@brunel.ac.uk.

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Cristina Correia Antunes Pina - I am a clinically-trained research scientist working in the field of cancer epigenetics. I am fascinated by the mechanisms through which cells diversify their molecular composition, and consequently vary their morphology and their function, to make organs, regenerate tissues, and produce tumours. While some of those diversification mechanisms rely on genetic mutations, others explore the way in which cells read their genes to produce the RNA and proteins that underlie cell function. The latter are referred to as epigenetic mechanisms. My research is focused on understanding and manipulating epigenetic mechanisms to alter cell identity, and in particular, it aims to probe their role in cancer evolution in an attempt to unveil new therapies.

Victor Hernandez - Over the last ten years I have focused my career in studying of the molecular mechanisms behind human genetic disorders such as ciliopathies and craniofacial anomalies. The final aim of my research is to find a therapeutically solution for these untreatable disorders and cure or alleviate their symptoms. My interest have been focused in Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS), a multi-syndromic disorder with characteristic truncal severe obesity, brain anomalies and retinal degeneration. At a molecular level, I have introduced the concept that the actin cytoskeleton is linked to cilia and play an important cellular role in ciliopathies such BBS. My research have contributed to the development of animals models to study ciliopathies including zebrafish and BBS mouse models. My work with these mouse models have been an important tool to comprehend the biological progression of the retinal degeneration and obesity. I have help to broad our understanding of the origins of the retinal and obesity phenotypes in BBS, proving how they show a great variability within the penetrance of the phenotypes which is important to understand in the scientific community want to test possible therapies on them. However, on top of all these efforts I consider that my most important contribution is the development of gene therapy solutions to treat obesity and retinal degeneration in BBS. In collaboration with many groups I have proven that the use of adeno-associated virus (AAV), as vectors to deliver corrected copies of BBS genes, are able to prevent retinal degeneration, obesity and CNS malformations in our BBS mouse models. This have led to a patent application, gene therapy for ciliopathies, which have one single aim; attract funding to start clinical trials in BBS patients. At the beginning of this journey we knew little over the function of the BBS genes, and we are now in a situation where a therapy appears as a real possibility. This is pushing me forward to improve our knowledge brain, obesity and retinal defects in ciliopathies and BBS, to test our therapies and all of this should be achieved using the best collaborative efforts and state of the art technology.