PhD Studentship (Fixed Term)

Purposes are invited for a fully-funded 3-year studentship within the Division of Surgical procedure on the College of Cambridge, beneath the supervision of Dr Vasilis Kosmoliaptsis. The posts might be based mostly within the College of Cambridge Division of Surgical procedure on the Cambridge.

Challenge title: Transcriptional profiling of cell-specific extracellular vesicles in strong organ transplantation

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane sure vesicles which might be secreted into the extracellular house by most cell sorts; they’re thought to mirror the conditional state of the guardian cell and have emerged as essential gamers in varied physiological and pathological processes. A significant curiosity of our lab is in investigating the position of EVs as mediators of irritation throughout organ ischaemia-reperfusion damage and after transplantation. We’re additionally excited about profiling EVs to develop biomarkers of the conditional state of donor organs. A significant problem in EV analysis is their inherent heterogeneity, such that the amount and composition of EVs in advanced organic samples mirror the exercise of a number of cell sorts and the physiological state of the guardian tissues.

The principle focus of this studentship might be on creating strategies for cell-specific EV detection and isolation from advanced biofluids, similar to human blood or urine. The investigation will capitalise on profiling of kidney, liver and cholangiocyte organoids, with paired EVs, beneath physiological circumstances and beneath stress (similar to hypoxia/reoxygenation). Additional profiling of paired tissue and EVs might be carried out utilizing samples obtained throughout ex vivo perfusion of donor kidneys and livers representing varied levels of organ ischaemia-reperfusion damage. As well as, cell-specific EV profiling might be knowledgeable by EV isolation utilizing bespoke EV aptamers developed in home. The target of the studentship might be to construct an atlas of cell-specific EVs on the transcriptomic stage. An extra goal might be to make use of single-cell RNA-seq knowledge and transcriptional profiling of EVs launched throughout ex vivo perfusion of donor organs to develop deconvolution algorithms that allow quantification of cell-specific EVs from bulk EV transcripts. The information obtained from this investigation might be utilized to know the conditional state of donor organs throughout ex vivo perfusion and after transplantation with a give attention to characterisation of the diploma of organ irritation and of organ damage.

What we’re in search of:

This PhD studentship includes a mixture of computational and moist lab analysis. Candidates ought to maintain (or count on to acquire) the equal of a UK 2.1 or larger in an undergraduate honours or Masters diploma in a related topic similar to molecular biology, genetics or computational biology. The studentship is open to these eligible for the House fee of College charges.

Fastened-term: The funds for this submit can be found for 3 years within the first occasion.

How To Apply:

Purposes have to be made through the College Applicant portal: click on the ‘Apply’ button above.

It’s not essential to contact potential supervisors earlier than making use of, however you might be welcome to contact Dr Kosmoliaptsis if in case you have questions concerning the mission.

In case you have any queries concerning the applying course of please contact the Postgraduate Administration Group at [email protected]

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